Childish Misdemeanours
by Salerio the Dragon
Summary: An Marriage Law.  Old school friends and enemies returning to teach. They learn different types of magic and the joy of different cultures from a young ANZAC who has been forced into the Law with the rest of them.  HG/DM  NL/HA  RW/Padma Patil  HP/OC
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer - I do not -and will most likely never- own the rights to the Harry Potter world... I'm just doing what every one else on this site is doing and that's using J.'s (or any other author/director) pre-established world to create other scenarios that never happened.**

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_Chapter one._

"Happy Birthday to you! Happy Birthday to you!" sang everyone as Hermione brought out the large tiered birthday cake, the candle's floating magically just above it. The icing flashed blue and white, and an edible golden snitch fluttered above it. She set the cake down in front of her younger, squib sister. Emily had turned twenty and the entire family had gathered to celebrate, as well as congratulate Hermione on her new post as the Hogwarts Transfiguration professor.

Unlike what many had thought, Hermione was the only witch in a family of Pureblood squibs. Her older brother, her father and Emily also loved Quidditch and truth be told, Hermione did too, but was unwilling to impose on the one magical thing they could do. As a result, she had grown up the muggle way and when teased about her (supposed) heritage she comforted herself with the thought that it would be worst to grow up surrounded by magic, but unable to use it.

Her family now lived as muggles anyway and she had been raised as one, her parents were deep in the muggle community, supporting a lot of endeavours for the youth financially. Not only that, but they were the heart and soul of the squib community, those un-magical people who knew of, grew up with and could use small portions of magic, such as seeing things normal muggles couldn't. The squib community itself was tight-knit and Hermione was so glad she could grow up experiencing three different communities (Muggle, Squib and Wizarding).

Emily's face burst with happiness, as she blew out the candles and when asked about what she had wished for, Hermione didn't miss the quick glance Emily sent her boyfriend of two years, before replying. Neither did Nathan so it seemed; as he promptly turned to her and crouched onto one knee, the gathered crowd quickly hushed and Emily's hands covered her mouth in happiness and shock.

"Em, I've known you as a friend for ten years and I've known you as a lover for the last two,' Emily blushed and Hermione laughed out loud, along with other rellies, 'So, I was wondering,' Nathan fumbled with something in his jeans pocket, before pulling out a small velvet box and looking her in the eyes, 'If you, Emily Felicity Granger, would consent to be…my wife?"

Emily's large squeal covered all other noise the family made and she launched herself at him. He barely managed to catch her before they both tumbled to the ground. "Yes! Yes! Yes!"

Hermione grinned and surreptitiously flicked her wand at the large, flashing 'Happy 20th Birthday Emily' banner to alternate between that and 'Congrats Em and Nat'. The family laughed and the cake was promptly cut up and handed around, a couple of old aunts sat in a corner of the large white tent gossiping and trying to outdo each other in the romance and extravagance of how they were proposed to and Emily and Nathan giggled and swayed to the soft music. Hermione smiled at them softly before looking around, trying to find her friends and their dates. Finally spotting a crop of red hair, she made her way to the other side of the tent. "Hey everyone! Thanks for coming!' Hermione greeted them, 'Wow! How exciting was that? Em has been going on about getting married for _ages_!"

Harry grinned, his arm around Parvarti Patil's shoulders. He had grown to be even taller than Ron (much to everyone's surprise) and was lean and muscular from his Auror training. He had also gotten very handsome, deemed one of the 'Sexiest and Wealthiest Bachelors in England', alongside Malfoy (for reasons Hermione couldn't understand; Malfoy being sexy that is, or even desirable!). Ron was stuffing his face with cake and Padma Weasley (nee Patil) rolled her eyes.

Ron had also grown up, tall and handsome, but had decided against being an Auror and instead became a wizarding architect. Somehow the Patil twins had forgiven the boys for their first date at the Yule Ball during Fourth Year (admittedly Harry had done a lot of the convincing, arguing that they had been fourteen and that a lot of first dates go bad) Parvarti and Harry soon discovered they were better off as friends, but still occasionally accompanied each other to odd events if they had no date or none of their other friends wanted to go. Padma and Ron… not so much. They had fought and squabbled, broke up and then made up so many times that Ron, in a fit of frustration, had said they should just marry to make it more convenient. And they did, much to everyone's surprise. They were soon expecting a little bundle of joy and Padma's dress flowed over her now bulky stomach and even though they fought more then ever (Pregnancy hormones) they never left each other's side.

"It was a _very_ romantic proposal, their joining must've been written in the stars." Luna's dreamy voice drifted over the crowd, her head laid gently on the shoulder of a softly grinning Blaise Zabini as she sat in his lap, her long blonde hair in stark contrast with Blaise's dark figure. During Harry, Hermione and Ron's hunt for the horcruxes, Luna and Blaise (even though he was a Slytherin) had together helped many of the younger students survive the reign of the Carrows and that small respect for each other blossomed into romance and they married soon after Luna had graduated from Hogwarts.

Hermione smiled, all her friends had found a partner and were so happy. She just wished she could be as lucky as them; that she would find someone who looked past her plain and bookish exterior and find something in her interior that could make them love her. Harry smiled and nudged his best friend when he saw her face fall slightly. He knew that Hermione was once again lamenting her lack of love life and that she thought herself too dull to hold a man's attention.

It wasn't that at all, she had grown up from that small, bucked toothed and bushy haired, eager and ready for knowledge eleven year old to be a young twenty–one year old woman with a beautiful smile, soft and curly hair, a mouth-wateringly curvy and slim body, a feisty and quick wit and with the thirst for knowledge now being (slightly) quenched she had learned how to be wise. (She and Harry had often discussed the differences between knowledge and wisdom; everyone could be knowledgeable but it took insight, compassion and observation to be wise as well.)

Not to mention she was the most powerful witch he had ever known, able to easily beat him in a duel and she had unmeasurable kindness (he had found out that she actually loved to fly and play Quidditch and had a Pureblood squib family one night when they had gone to a pub to lament their lack of love life. They had gotten so pissed that they were blurting out various secrets that they had held on for ages. Most of them embarrassing. She had been sober enough though, to tell him to give it another try with Parvarti. Somehow, in the way only Hermione could, she had gotten Harry to tell her about his long lasting crush on a Healer he had met on the battlefield during the war, but had never seen again and she had suggested the best way to get over her was to date and see some nice girls, like the Patil twins)

Besides, he knew all the guys at Uni (where she had just graduated) were nuts about her, she had been the most popular and sought after girl on campus. Unfortunately, Hermione's wisdom didn't extend into the romance department, so she had declined any dates, not realising they were offers, in order to study. That and the fact that Ron, Harry and any of the Weasley boys around would go all 'Protective Big Brother' on anyone who they even suspected had any designs on Hermione.

Especially since Ginny had broken Neville's heart by cheating on him with five other guys, Harry, Ron and the other Weasleys had retracted their protective status on her and decided that their other sister, at least not by blood but in bond, would need their protection more than the other one. Ginny was hardly in touch with anyone of her family now, as she went around the country with Lavender, mostly following the Quidditch games and their players.

Neville, now handsome, strong and muscular from all his work and research in Herbology, had lost all confidence with the ladies when he had caught her cheating, but was slowly regaining it due to the 'help' he was getting via Harry and any other of their single mates, usually Seamus, Dean, Charlie, Fred and George, as they bar hopped their way around Wizarding (and occasionally Muggle) London on Friday nights, occasionally Malfoy and Blaise would join them, as Malfoy and Harry had put past grievances behind them when they trained together at the Auror Academy before Malfoy had decided that he'd rather pursue a career with Potions and the two Slytherins had been made friendly in the large group of Gryffindors.

They were also eventually accompanied by Hermione when she got sick of all the calls she got from the Gryffindors when they were too drunk to apparate home. The Slytherins were smart enough to have a back-up plan in the event that they got too drunk, the Gryffindor's only plan was 'call Hermione', in spite of all that, Hermione never saw the blond-haired git. That would all end soon though, when school came back on, as Neville had accepted a position as the Herbology Professor at Hogwarts at the same time as Hermione.

"This is great Hermione! I can't believe you did all this and kept it a secret from Em!" Ron exclaimed.

"Yeah, it was hard, especially when Em loves to snoop! I think she knew something was up though, it was harder to hide things then usual this last month!"

The party was held in the large gardens on the Granger Estate, the stately mansion rising just behind them. The actual party was held under great white tents, simular to the one that held Bill and Fleur's wedding.

Hermione chatted with her friends, every now and then, one of them would get up to dance or grab some more food and eventually when the sun started to slip behind the horizon Hermione pried herself away from them to give congratulations to her sister and bring some light to the slowly darkening party, caused by dusk. As she glanced through the crowd, she saw Emily walk outside and she grinned. Racing up behind her little sister, she encircled her arms around her and hugged her. Emily let out a small squeak of surprise before turning around and hugging her back.

"Congrats Sis." Hermione whispered into the younger girl's ears. She had the same hair as Hermione did, but just a shade darker. Suddenly she felt tears on her shoulder. Pulling back, Hermione looked into the younger girl's eyes, which were overfilled with tears. "Hon? What's wrong?" she asked worriedly.

"N-nothing, I'm just so glad you're my sister and that I'm getting married! Oh God, I'm getting married! Can life get any better? Thank you so much 'Mione! I can't believe you organised all this! And to think I thought you were just out pub hopping and getting laid by cute guys!" Hermione's fond smile fell and she spluttered.

"Wh-what? THAT'S what you thought I was doing? THAT'S why you snooped even more, making it even HARDER for me to hide this? That's ridicu-"

Emily looked at her sister deadpan, "Yep, I was right, you REALLY need to get laid." Ignoring her sibling's blushes and splutters, Emily smiled and walked back into the tent. After staring at the empty spot for a while more, mortified, she shook her head and turned to go back to the party, the sun was only just peaking behind the tall trees so with a small flick of her wand, little coloured balls of light floated out of the tip and decorated themselves outside the tent and inside, shining more light then looked to be possible.


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer - Once again - I claim no right to be doing this...but its so much fun! XD**

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Chapter two.

It had been dark for about an hour and Hermione was laughing and chatting with Luna, Parvarti and Padma as the boys started a drinking contest (That, Hermione thought, was bound to end badly) when a small ball of blue light penetrated the heavy wards, ending all lights and stopping the music. Harry, Hermione and Ron instantly came together, on guard, reminisant of the time during the War (Wizarding folk often calling it The WWW; The Wizarding World War), their wands out and pointed towards the potential threat. Everyone gasped and backed away from the glowing orb in the middle of the tent. Tendrils of light escaped from it and an image of the Minister came into view.

**"In light of the recent Wizarding World War and the cause of it, the Ministry has decided that there will now be a Marriage Law for all wizards and witches aged 20 to 40. Purebloods will be arranged with Muggle-borns and Mixed bloods. These partnerships will be pre-arranged and cannot be changed. Those already in a partnership are given one week to register their engagement. The marriage itself does not require a child to be born and if at the end of two years the chosen couple do not wish to continue with the marriage, they must pay an annulment sum of one million galleons, to be equally payed, and tell, under Veritaserum, why they wish for the annulment. If the reason is not sufficient the annulment will be denied. If the annulment goes through and the couple are still within the Marriage Law applied age another applicant will be chosen. The chosen couple are also required to share a bed and cannot live separately for more than one week a month without applying for leave, if they need to be apart for more than the allotted time for things such as work, they must first file a form for permission for the required time, which will then be checked with the appropriate employers. During the engagement period, however, the couple are allowed to not share a bed, but MUST live in the same house. Whilst one is with their chosen spouse, engagement included, cheating is not allowed. Needless to say the Ministry will know if any of these rules are broken. In one week hence, all eligible witches and wizards will be owled the name of their spouse-to-be and the marriage will be expected to take place within a year's time. Have a good evening."**

With that the glowing orb dissipated and Hermione's coloured lights lit the tent back up. Slowly, indignant chatter began to rise as everyone recovered from their shock and discussed the new law. Hermione stared dismayed, at Harry, whose face mirrored her expression, as best friends they would have to get past this together somehow. Out of the crowd a woman suddenly screeched, "THAT'S IT! Nils, this Marriage Law is the last straw! ' She yelled, impatiently and grabbed a surprised Nils' arm, 'If you aren't going to ask me, I will! Johnson, will you marry me?" A surprised silence descended on the whole group as they watched the unexpected proposal.

Hermione leant over and whispered in Harry's ear, "I know them, that's Susan and Nils, Susan's a squib, but Nils' is a neighbouring wizard, Em brought them together over a year ago." Nils started laughing and Susan's scowl deepened and she wacked his arm. "Not funny, Johnson! This is serious! I couldn't wait any longer!"

"Well, if you'd waited until the end of this party, that would've been the question you would've heard from me, Su!' Susan gaped and blushed, 'But, as it is…' Nils got on bent knee and pulled out a velvet box, 'Susan Halle, will you marry me?"

Gathering her composure, her hand still on his arm, she glanced around conspicuously and noticed everyone watching them amusedly, even the music had yet to restart and she blushed even more. "Well, I asked first! So whatever you're going to say, I'll say." She said childishly. Nils smirked and stood up, towering over the young, curvy woman and pulled her closer to him. He bent his head to whisper in her ear, too quietly for anyone else to hear and slipped the thin, gold band decorated simply with two intertwined emeralds onto the ring finger of her left hand. She buried her head into his chest in embarrassment as the crowd whooped and cheered. Hermione was smiling so wide in amusement, she was surprised that her face hadn't split in half, as she whooped along with Harry, Blaise and Ron. The music came back on and everyone chatted excitedly about the new turn of events.

When Parvarti went with her sister to congratulate Susan and see the engagement ring, Harry wandered over to Hermione.

"I got a question for you 'Mione."

"It better not be 'Will you marry me?" she giggled.

"No, and you know it isn't 'Mione! Now pay attention!" Harry growled.

Hermione slowly stopped giggling in bursts and sighed happily.

"Okay, you have my full attention."

"Could you, when I get married' he looked away and blushed, 'be my Best Man?"

She stared at him in shock, and then slowly grinned, "On one condition."

Harry turned his bright green eyes to her and looked at her with one eyebrow raised.

"Only if you be my Maid of Honour."

Harry grinned widely and in relief, "Of course!" he bent down and hugged the small witch, holding her up and swinging her around, ignoring her squeaks of protest.

Throughout the night, there were several more proposals, as people decided that tonight would be a good night to ask, what with the Marriage Law and the fact that the setting was so very romantic; a large white tent lit by tiny coloured lights on a large sprawling garden, what more could a witch want, right? Though, as the night drew on and more alcohol was consumed, the proposals soon turned ridiculous.

Hermione was chatting with Parvarti and Luna when Padma rushed up to them, holding her stomach and laughing. "Quick! You have to see this! The boys are pissed! They've started to propose to each other!"

Hermione glanced, startled, at the other two and quickly followed the waddling Padma outside. The night sky was littered with stars and there was no moon, so most of the light that was shed was streaming out of the tent. Just outside it, all the boys had congregated, drinking beer and chatting. Although at that point, for some reason, they all thought it'd be a good idea to start proposing to each other. Padma stood at the entrance laughing, as the other three came up behind her. Hermione's jaw dropped, Parvarti raised her eyebrows and Luna shook her head.

"I knew those Beer Snargles would cause some damage, but does anyone listen to me? No! Blaise should know better!" Luna said exasperated. Just then, Ron lumbered up to John Granger, his face pink from the liquor. Hermione's dad was no better, slightly swaying on the spot. Ron swung his arm up to land his hand on John's shoulder, "You know mate, what with this Marriage Law, we should get married!" Ron slurred.

John nodded to the best of his ability, "Th-that's a GREAT idea!" he swayed and the two blokes just stood there still dazed and already forgetting their conversation. Padma stopped laughing and stared along with Hermione while Luna and Parvarti laughed their hearts out. But just then Blaise stumbled over to Harry and fell onto one knee and proposed to him. Harry giggled and clapped his hands like a little girl, before keeling over and lying, unconscious, on an equally unconscious Blaise. Now it was Luna's turn to stare, gobsmacked, as Hermione, Parvarti and Padma returned to giggling, (well, Parvarti never stopped).

"Yep, I think its time we hit the sack. Thanks so much 'Mione, you did an absolutely brill job on this party! I'll take Harry back to his place before I go to mine," Parvarti said as she turned to the other ex-Gryffindor, hugging her and Hermione laughed.

"Well, thanks for coming and I can't wait to hold this proposal over Harry's head!"

Parvarti laughed, "Me too!" before she walked over to Harry and with a quick 'Enervate' he slowly looked up, with a sleepy look on his face.

"Up we go." Parvarti said as she hauled his form up and slung one of his arms around her shoulders so she could support him.

"Parvarti! I'll lower the wards for you so you don't have to carry Harry's inebriated state all the way out of the gates before apparating!" Hermione called and Parvarti turned around and smiled at her.

"Thanks 'Mione."

Hermione frowned, then muttered something and clapped her hands. The wards fluttered as they allowed the exiting of Parvarti side-apparating Harry.

"I think we'll all take this chance to leave." Padma said as she waddled over to Ron's unconscious form.

"Padma, I'll take him back to your place, I don't want you to worry about splinching."

Padma thanked her and gave her a relieved smile while rubbing her large tummy, before apparating away, the wards flickering. Other people had now come out and were laughing at their intoxicated partners before taking the chance to apparate away too, after once again shouting their congratulations to Emily and Nathan. Their squib friends and family side-apparated away with their wizarding friends. Hermione grabbed Ron and apparated away, landing on Ron's and Padma's porch. Padma was inside and the door was open, so Hermione levitated Ron onto the couch before poking her head into the kitchen where Padma bustled around making tea. "He's home and on the couch fast asleep, Paddy." Hermione said and Padma came up and hugged her.

"Thanks again for apparating him home, I get worried just apparating by myself with this little one here!"

Hermione smiled as she walked to the front door, "Well, if you ever want to go somewhere and DON'T want to apparate, just floo me and I'll bring the car around."

"Thanks sweetheart."

"See you later!" Hermione waved as she stepped out onto the porch, checked for any muggles before apparating away.

She returned to the Granger Manor and found it empty of guests, the tent had been taken down while she was away and it seemed like everyone was in bed. She slowly climbed up the large staircase and went into her bedroom, flopped down on the bed and fell asleep immediately.


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer - Now, even though this chapter is short, I still don't own any of it except for the plot... But even that's a bit used, I just REALLY wanted a story in which the characters (in particular Hermione) didn't forget that they were in fact, magical, and could do a whole heap of cool things, including, but not limited to, hexes, curses, transfiguring people they don't like and the _obliviate spell_! I mean, come on, you could do something completely embarrassing and then obliviate those who saw it! How handy is that?**

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Chapter three.

Draco Malfoy was in shock. He knew it was only time until the Ministry tried something like this, but so soon? He had tried to floo his best mate, Blaise Zabini, but had talked to his wife instead.

Apparently he had gotten royally pissed at a birthday bash and was suffering the consequences now, Luna was withholding the Pepper Up Potion as he had done something _incredibly_ embarrassing while under the influence of alcohol. Draco couldn't wait to find out what it was.

He sighed and slumped back into his chair, running a hand through his light blond hair. This new law was annoying, especially as he was due to start work at Hogwarts as the new Potions Master.

His godfather, Severus Snape had tutored him in the art of Potion-Making since he was tall enough to reach the bench that the ingredients and equipment was placed on, so he was the obvious replacement when Snape had decided to retire so he could marry Draco's widowed mother.

Lucius Malfoy had died during Battle of Hogwarts, on the Orders side. Him and Snape had always been close, so when one became a turncoat, so did the other. Narcissa had loved Lucius and on his death, had turned to Snape for comfort. The two had grown even closer and love had blossomed. Don't get him wrong, Draco was glad his mother had found someone else, but he'd be glad to get away from all their new lovey-dovey business. School started in 1 week, so the letter would arrive the day before all the students would be arriving at Hogwarts, so that severely limited the time he had to sort this all out, especially the living placement. Draco growled to himself.

"HobKnob!" he called and a small, cheery house elf appeared, clothed in a large pillowcase. He would never say it, but he loved the little elf, he had been his companion since birth, assisting in all the pranks he had thought up and helping him avoid the social functions his mother had loved to throw.

"Could you get me a pen and paper now?" he asked and HobKnob bowed. Moments later, he was elegantly writing a letter to the Ministry about the faults in getting a Professor of a boarding school to marry and how that would only decrease the potential romance of any possible relationship.

When the Ministry had finally replied, they reassured him that the work of future spouses had been included during the compatibility tests they had run and that the most they can offer him is that his future spouse would be working at Hogwarts too. Draco hoped feverently that McGonagall wasn't included in the list of eligible ladies. He sat back with a heavy sigh and grumbled, "I knew I shouldn't have voted for him."

Suddenly the fireplace flared into life and out stepped Theodore Nott, another ex-Slytherin that both Blaise and himself had befriended. "Hey mate, heard 'bout that Marriage Law yet?" he asked casually, while brushing the soot off his cloak. Draco's scowl grew even deeper and he sighed, "Who hasn't?"

Theo just grinned, "Wanna go to Diagon Alley? Ever since the Marriage Law has been announced, ladies have been latching onto any handsome fella they can see to take advantage of their last week of being single."

Draco's eyebrows shot up and Theo waggled his.

"…Seriously?" his face slowly lit up with the familiar devilish Malfoy smirk.

"Yeah, its great! I had to brush off at least ten just to get to the Leaky Cauldron fireplace!"

"And the reason why you brushed off all those ladies to see me was…?"

"Well, there's only so much Nott-a-mater to go around and I thought to myself, 'who else would be depressed about this stupid law and who else would all the ladies like a piece of?' and my conclusion was you!"

"Eh, fair enough. What are we waiting for? This just might be the pick-me-up I needed!" Draco smirked, standing up swiftly

In a swirl of smoke, both Draco and Theo flooed to Diagon Alley.


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer - Nope, still don't own the Harry Potter Universe. And for those who've read this far...thanks.**

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Chapter four.

The week was a whirl of activity for Hermione, every time she went into Diagon Alley to gather supplies, such as the latest 'Transfiguration through the Ages; the evolution of Transfiguration, dated before Merlin' book or a large stock of quills and ink, more wizarding robes and, well, more books from Florish and Blotts, she had been accosted by large crowds; the downside to being one third of the Golden Trio, Hermione surmised.

Then Harry would frantically call her up and cry for help from a rabid group of fan-girls trying to convince him to marry them, so she'd help him get out of the house by saying she needed some help in gathering supplies in Muggle London, then _Ron_ would desperately attempt to use the phone again and cry for help as well, trying to hide from a mood-swinging Padma, so he'd join them in their quest in Muggle London, but he'd be so curious about all the things around him that they ended up giving him tours and rush around gathering things at the last minute.

Then, when she _finally_ got home, she'd get accosted by her little sister, yanking several different Maid of Honour dresses on her as she organised _her_ wedding. When she finally slipped out of her grasp, she'd be in her room until late, working out several lesson plans and interesting assignments, before collapsing on her bed and sleeping like the dead until the next day, when it started all over again and she soon forgot all about the Marriage Law.

So it was to her surprise, that just as she was about to apparate to Platform 9 ¾ in Kings Cross that a Ministry owl flew in and delivered a letter. All the teachers would be arriving the day before the students, so there was enough time to sort everything out and get settled in, so Hermione didn't want to miss the train.

Hermione just took the letter, gave the owl a treat and tucked it into her dark blue travelling robes to read on the train. She just had her small beaded bag that was under the undetectable extension charm that held her trunk inside it (The reason why she kept the trunk was that it was so much more convenient to grab things from) and the owl cage that held Nyx, a beautiful barn owl that Ron and Harry had given her for her last birthday.

She appeared just outside the Hogwarts express, steam billowing out and around the train. All the Professors were milling around and Hermione quickly sorted out Neville from the crowd, "Hey Nev, mate! What's been going on in your neck of the woods?" Hermione asked cheerfully and Neville smiled down at her.

"I take it then, that your fiancé is someone you like?" he asked her.

Hermione balked, "Fiancé?"

Neville looked at her strangely, "Yeah, did you get your letter from the Ministry telling you who your fiancé is this morning? You know, for the Marriage Law?"

Hermione slapped a hand to her forehead, "I knew I'd forgotten something! So that's what the letter was!"

"You mean you haven't opened it yet?" Neville asked, amused and Hermione turned her big doe eyes to him, worriedly.

"I will now!" She fished around in her large robes before pulling out the slightly rumpled letter and took a deep breath.

"Who did you get, Neville?" Hermione asked, eyeing the letter nervously and fiddling with the edges.

"Hannah Abbot." Hermione looked up and smiled beautifully.

"Neville, that's wonderful! She's such a nice girl! But how are you going to stay together for the required time? She runs the Leaky Cauldron, doesn't she?"

Neville nodded, smiling bashfully, "She's going to move to Hogsmeade and run the Three Broomsticks while Madame Rosmerta goes and runs the Leaky Cauldron."

Hermione smiled, "I'm so happy for you!"

Neville indicated her letter with his head and smiled. "Your turn."


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer - I'm not English. Ergo, I cannot logically own any rights to the Harry Potter universe as J.K. Rowling. Ah well.**

**Author's Note - You know, I thought no-one was reading my story, until I came across my e-mails telling me otherwise. I didn't know that was how you could tell if someone has added your story to their 'alerts'! You learn something new each day! And... I was wondering if someone could leave me a review? Just so I know what I'm doing right or wrong and if there are any spelling or grammatical errors that I should know about!**

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Chapter five.

Hermione gulped and carefully tore open the top of the envelope, but just then the whistle blew and the two glanced around the platform, noticing that nearly everyone was on the train already, they had been too intent on their conversation to notice every one filing on. "Quick, onto the train! I'll read it when we're settled." Neville and Hermione hurried onto the train and began walking down the corridor, trying to find a nice compartment. They lurched along to the sway of the train when it left the station and Neville spotted a compartment with someone familiar inside.

"Professor Lupin! I didn't know you'd be teaching again!" Neville cried and Hermione bounced behind him, trying to see into the compartment.

"Neville! Hermione! It's nice to see you two again! Come in! Come in!"

The two former Gryffindors went inside and slid the compartment door shut.

"And as we are now colleagues and not students and teacher, I insist that you call me Remus! So, what are you two teaching?" Remus asked.

"Herbology."

"Transfiguration."

"And you Professor- I mean, Remus?"

"Care of Magical Creatures,' Remus chuckled, 'quite suitable, really and I hear that there's a new Potions Master as well."

Hermione's eyebrows shot up, "Really?"

Remus nodded, "Snape decided it was high time he retired and I thought I might set up a duelling club as well, even if I'm not the Defence Against Dark Arts teacher."

This time Neville spoke up, "What? Like what Gilderoy Lockhart did in second year?"

"…And Harry scared the wits out of everyone by speaking Parseltongue." Hermione giggled.

"Yes, so, I was wondering if either of you were interested in joining as demonstrators?"

Hermione's eyes lit up, "Would I ever!"

Neville looked at her nervously, "Only if I'm not pitted against her."

Remus chuckled, "Fair enough, I'll sort something out with Minerva. Now,' he clapped his hands together and leaned forward interestedly, 'onto more current and far more interesting news; who are you two getting married to?"

"Hannah Abbot."

The two men looked at Hermione and she pulled the letter out of the envelope and quickly scanned it. Her face paled, "Oh, Merlin's saggy balls, no."

"Who is it 'Mione?" Neville asked worriedly and once again, Hermione's big doe eyes met his.

"…Draco Malfoy."

Neville smiled, "Look on the bright side, at least he was always called, 'The Slytherin Sex God', he can't be that bad in bed!" and the two men chuckled as Hermione scowled. With a small flick of her wrist though, the two stopped laughing and started groaning and writhing in agony as angry boils suddenly appeared on their bottoms as Hermione hid a demur smile; that was much more like a smirk.

"Of all people! Why did it have to be Hermione Bloody Granger!" Draco exclaimed and Blaise shrugged through the two-way mirror.

"She's not that bad. She's actually really nice and has grown into a del-_icious_ body!"

Draco scowled, "You're only saying that 'cause you married her best girlfriend!"

Blaise raised an eyebrow, "Yeah and in doing so I got to know her better. Give her a chance, Drake and she'll give you one."

Draco huffed, "Yeah, right."

"Well, win her over with those Malfoy charms. You have a whole year before you have to marry her, try and sort it out."

Draco sighed and rubbed the back of his neck, "Yeah, and I'll have to give her the engagement ring too…"

"See! You'll win her over in no time! She'll feel less cold-hearted towards you if you do that, because its romantic and means you've thought of her! Girls always _love_ that! Besides she's Potter's best mate, and don't give me that crap that you hate him! You had no trouble getting drunk with him and his mates!"

"Yeah, but we haven't actually seen each other since after Hogwarts, we always miss each other at the pub…I leave before she comes or skip the day that she decides to join…Nhh, It's complicated! Do I have to marry her, Blaise?"

Blaise glared at him through the mirror, "Grow some balls Malf-"

Someone knocked on his compartment door, "Yeah, okay, see you later Blaise," he said hurriedly, before putting the mirror away and opening the door.

"Professor?" Draco's eyebrows shot up as Lupin came in.

"'lo, Draco, I hear you're the new Potions Master?" Lupin asked, with a twinkle in his eye.

"You heard correctly."

"Excellent, now, I'm setting up a duelling club at school, like the one you had in second year and I was wondering if you could be one of the demonstrators?"

Draco nodded slowly, his face as unreadable as ever, "I could do that… If I'm not completely inundated in work by then."

Lupin grinned, "Good man, I'll keep in touch." He rumbled, before exiting Draco's compartment. He sighed and slouched into his seat. He wondered what his students would think of him.

Moments later, Headmistress McGonagall tapped on his door and slid it open. Draco quickly straightened his posture as McGonagall quirked an eyebrow, "Now, Draco my dear, as you're taking the Potion Master's position, it is traditional to also become the head of the Slytherin house. I know this is rather a lot to take in, especially as you'll be marrying Miss Granger and will have to share a common room with her, as well as it being your first year in this job-"

Draco smiled slightly and shook his head, holding up a hand to stop the Headmistress, "No, that's quite alright, I understand, I'll be delighted to be the Head of House for Slytherin."

McGonagall smiled and nodded gratefully, "Thank you Draco dear." Before walking off to visit other compartments. Draco sighed and scowled, he'd forgotten he had to share a place with that know-it-all Gryffindor Prude; his life was going to be hell.


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer - ... What every one else says on this site.**

**Author's Note - Just a short one this time!**

* * *

Chapter six.

Meanwhile, Hermione and Neville also nodded, "I'd love to be the Gryffindor Head of House." Hermione smiled.

"I know Hufflepuff wasn't your original house Neville-"

But Neville just smiled, "No, that's okay, at least I won't have to deal with those crazy Gryffindor parties." He joked and Hermione scrunched up her nose.

It had been sorted; Hermione and Draco would be sharing a common room and Neville would live on the grounds near Hogsmeade with Hannah, in a small house specifically built for them.

When the train had arrived and everyone was boarding the threstral drawn carriages, Draco finally spotted Hermione, getting into a carriage with Neville Longbottom and Remus Lupin, he ran up to it and yelled, "Oi! Granger! Catch!" before throwing a small velvet box at her and turning back to his carriage. Hermione's war-learnt reflexes caught the box, even though she was in shock.

"Don't open it! It could be hexed!" Neville joked…kinda, before he and Remus gingerly sat down on the seat, Hermione had yet to give them the counter-curse. Hermione glared at him before turning her glare to the box, but before she could move, the box glowed and opened and a beautiful ring was shown, before it disappeared and reappeared on the ring finger of her left hand. The box disappeared into a small glowing orb of blue light, not unlike when the message about the Marriage Law had been delivered.

The image of the Minister of Magic appeared and once again began to talk, regardless of the three wands that had been instantly pointed at it.

"**Every man must present his chosen spouse with an engagement ring. The ring may be of his choice, but if it is neglected to be chosen before the week is out, then the Ministry will provide said ring."** And it disappeared.

"Oh yeah,' Neville rubbed the back of his neck nervously, 'I forgot about that. I mean, I've given Hannah her ring, but I forgot that that was what it was."

Hermione raised an eyebrow at him, before looking at the delicate ring. It wrapped around her finger and was finely crafted. A ruby was inlaid within it with etchings of leaves going around the rim of the ring. Two small emeralds laid either side of the ruby. She looked at it confused and then showed it to Neville and Remus. "Is- is that one of the Ministry rings?"

Neville took her hand, inspected it then shook his head, "Nope, the Ministry ones are just plain gold."

Remus took her hand and inspected it as well. He smiled and shook his head, "I don't know anything about jewellery, but it looks pretty."

Hermione took back her hand and inspected it, before shrugging and turning back to the two men. "How exciting is this? We're going back to Hogwarts!"

Neville leaned over to whisper in Remus' ear, "She's in denial."

"I heard that!"


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter seven.

"-And of course, we have four new additions to our staff! Please welcome back Mr. Remus Lupin, who will be taking Care of Magical Creatures, Mr. Neville Longbottom, who will be taking Mrs. Pomona Sprout's old position as Herbology teacher and Head of Hufflepuff, Mr. Draco Malfoy, who will be taking his Godfather, Severus Snape's position as Potions Master and Head of Slytherin and Miss Hermione Granger, who will be taking my old position of Transfiguration teacher and Head of Gryffindor. Now, we have yet to replace the D.A.D.A teacher, and so the students will have a free period during that time in the upcoming weeks until we can find one." McGonagall said to the gathered staff.

"Now, everyone you know where to go, meeting dismissed. Neville; Hagrid will take you to your house and bring in Miss Hannah Abbot from Hogsmeade. Hermione and Draco, please follow me and I'll show you to your commons and don't worry, all your things have been placed into your respective rooms."

The rest of the staff wandered off, chatting and catching up and Hermione hugged Neville good-bye before turning to follow McGonagall.

"Come on Granger, you're holding us up." Malfoy drawled in a rich baritone.

Hermione glared at him, before flipping her hair over her shoulder and hurrying up to McGonagall's side. She'd rather be dead before she said this, but Malfoy had grown rather…hot.

He had filled out into a tall, lean and muscular man, with a perfectly chiselled face and the blond hair that had been so arrogantly slicked back now fell (sexily, but she'd be double dead before that word and Malfoy's name fell between her lips at the same time) into his eyes, giving him a handsome, haunted look that had girls falling over themselves.

He had ditched his travelling cloak and was now wearing well fitted charcoal slacks and a loose white shirt that, when he walked, from the corner of her eye, Hermione could catch glimpses of a hard six pack hidden underneath from when the shirt pressed itself against him.

Meanwhile, Draco was enjoying the view of Hermione's backside as her hips swayed enticingly when she walked.

Her bushy hair was now tamed into curly waves that shone and, damn it, Blaise was right, she _had_ grown into her body, she had delicious curves that ached to be stroked and long toned legs.

She wore a close-fitting knee length black skirt that emphasised her waist and tight bottom and a top collared white blouse that was carefully tucked into it that drew attention to her equally delectable top half.

Over that she still wore her dark blue travelling cloak that billowed out behind her. Other than that, the only colour she wore was a small goldish-red lion brooch that clasped her cloak together.

Draco smirked; this girl - no woman - was still as feisty as ever, it'd take a bit of work for her to succumb to the good ol' Malfoy charms.

Regardless of what others thought, Draco had been raised to respect muggles, as they lived in a world that was harder then his, what with them being without magic and to also have the utmost respect for muggleborn witches and wizards as they had to have an extraordinary amount of power to be able to conduct the magic that muggles believed didn't exist.

But as the threat of Voldemort loomed, Draco's father urged him to pretend to hate muggles and muggleborns to prevent any word that Lucius was spreading views other than Pureblood Propaganda.

After the war, Draco found out that a lot of the Slytherins had also been faking their hatred, as they feared the wrath of Voldemort and his Death Eaters, now most of his old Slytherin friends were best mates with muggleborns.

The Dark Mark that had marred Draco's alabaster skin was now just a fancy tattoo and Draco had been experimenting with ways to change its form so that it no longer represented the evil man's twisted ideas but instead to take the form of his namesake.

A small dragon now lay where the Dark Mark once took residence. Of course, he would have preferred it if there was no tattoo at all, but he would take what he could.

"And here it is." McGonagall showed them the portrait of a lone wolf, silently watching them with large, amber eyes as it prowled a dark forest.

"_A fronte praecipitium a tergo lupi_."McGonagall stated and the painting slowly opened. Draco blinked and shook his head, "Sorry, what was that again?"

Hermione shot him a withering look, "You're going to need to write that down, aren't you?"

"…Maybe. At least until I can remember it all…"

"You two can decorate as you see fit. Now, as Head of Houses, you're also going to need to set a password for the entry of each of your respective house commons. Just go to the appropriate entry-way, tap it three times and say '_Mut Occultus'_, before saying the password you've chosen.''

McGonagall clapped her hands and gave them her infamous thin-lipped smile, "Well, Good-night, I'll leave you two to get settled and Hermione-" Hermione turned to her old Head of House, "You'll be taking over my role of bringing in the First Years…Try not to scare them too much, I know how much fun it is." Hermione blushed as Draco sniggered. McGonagall tipped her head slightly and left swiftly.


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer - I like writing! And I don't own any rights to the characters used in this story. The End.**

* * *

Chapter eight.

The common room was large and spacious, with a roaring fire off to one side, warm, large rugs laid over the surface of the cold, stone floor, a couch and two large stuffed chairs sat around the fireplace, with a small table in the middle.

Bookshelves lined the walls and various equipment and ingredients used in Potions had their own large glass cupboard.

The room had a goldish glow to it, accentuated with silver linings that were hard to pinpoint. The large staircase split in the middle to reveal a small kitchen and dining room, while at the top of the staircase was another floor, dedicated to two bedrooms and a bathroom.

Hermione quietly went up to the bookshelves and ran her fingertips over the titles of the books, every now and then slipping a book out to take a closer look. Draco, meanwhile, had gone straight to the Potions cupboard like a small boy goes to a toy store.

He too, took out various things and inspected them. They continued like that for a while, neither acknowledging the other. Suddenly Draco sighed. He turned to Hermione and ran a hand through his hair, "Look, Granger, I know that this, Marriage Law, is a difficult dilemma, but I don't want to be stuck in a horrible engagement and marriage for three years before parting with half a million galleons. And while the Malfoy name still carries a lot of brunt in this world, that idiot of a Minister was adamant that this needs to be done, needless of the fact that most Purebloods don't give a flea's fart about blood supremacy."

He stared stoically into the fire and Hermione gazed appraisingly at him, an open book still in her hands. "Well, how do you expect this to work? You've tormented me for years because of my 'inferior' blood and you expect me to instantly think you've changed?"

He glanced at her, his gaze wooden. "Some people will do anything for their family."

As Hermione shut the book, the firelight shone against the engagement ring and she looked at it, wonderingly.

He didn't have to get her a special ring; he could've just gotten the Ministry distributed rings, but he didn't.

Hermione sighed and turned away from the fire to place the book away. When she turned back, Malfoy was staring moodily into the flames, hands in his pockets and white shirt loosened.

The light and colour of the flames reflected on his face, making it hauntingly beautiful. She rolled her eyes at herself, at least he was attractive and she knew him. She was sure she could be worse off, especially as he had just about admitted to retracting all acceptance of blood supremacy and she knew from Harry that his family had been under threat of death if he refused or failed the Dark Lord.

Thinking of Harry though, Hermione remembered that Draco had initially trained with him as an Auror before deciding that he'd rather study the art of Potions Making and that they now had some form of friendship.

Draco startled from his reminiscing as he heard a soft voice coming from behind him. "What?"

"I said, 'what did you have in mind?' How will this marriage work? We'll be stuck together for about twenty years at least. That is if we don't want to be re-sorted and get stuck with someone who we might hate even more!"

Draco chuckled, "Is that even possible Granger?"

"Merlin, I hope not!"

"Well, I propose a truce." He turned around slowly to face the amused witch behind him and cocked an eyebrow at her.

"Continue."

"I say, we start over, and we can only get mad and throw things and hexes and curses and whatnot over matters that happen after this moment. We don't bring up the past too much, because we were young and impressionable, now we should be able to sort things out, sort of maturely."

Hermione narrowed her eyes in thought and slowly nodded, "I can do that."

Draco smirked and held out his hand, Hermione eyed it for a moment before taking it in her grasp and shaking it firmly. He could feel her small delicate hand slip into his and it made him want to draw her close, just so he could protect her. Mentally, he shook his head, _Grow up Draco!_ He growled to himself.

Hermione met his large warm hand and it felt like…home. Home during Christmas. That sense of wonderment and safety. Hermione chastised her self, what was she thinking? This was Draco Malfoy. Known as the Bouncing Ferret… well, that was until he'd brought a small white ferret, named him Draco Jr. and like someone with true charisma and leadership had flaunted off his namesake, successfully quelling the laughs and leaving admiration in its stead.

None of the emotions that swirled around in their heads showed in their eyes or in their faces, so they cordially separated. Hermione turned and headed to the stairs, "I'm going to check out my room." She called over her shoulder.

"Whatever Granger." Draco waved his hand disinterestedly, turning to the small table and comfy chairs.


	9. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer - I don't own anything to do with Harry Potter or its affiliates...**

**On a happier note though, enjoy!**

* * *

Chapter nine.

Mounted on her bedroom door, was a small golden plaque reading, _'Hermione Granger; Transfiguration Teacher; Head of Gryffindor'. _She opened it and gasped. Hermione loved her room, it was big with bright red and gold colours lighting it up.

A small fireplace also glowed there, with more bookshelves, this time for her things and a large study table with a small lamp glowing besides it. In the middle was a large four-poster bed with red curtains and gold pillows and duvet. The Gryffindor crest was mounted on the wall behind the bed.

Nyx hooted from the corner where her cage and Hermione's small bag was placed. Hermione hurried over and opened it up. Nyx hopped onto her arm and she gently stroked her head as the owl quietly hooted.

Hermione opened her window and Nyx hopped onto the sill before gliding away silently. Opening her bag, she contorted it so she could get her large, battered, old school trunk out. Placing it at the foot of her bed, Hermione opened it and grabbed a piece of parchment and ink before gliding back down the stairs to the common room.

She baulked when she say that Malfoy was still down there, but now on the couch, evidently writing various scribbles onto parchment, but Hermione shrugged it off and continued down.

Draco was concentrating, trying to remember the correct Latin phrase, when Hermione came down, he glanced up at the movement, shot a quick, tight smile before returning back to his writing.

"Whatcha doin'?"

Draco growled, "I was _trying_ to remember the proper Latin phrase for the Slytherin password, when _someone _decided to interrupt me!"

Hermione had the gall to look slightly remorseful, "Sorry." She muttered, irritated. Truth be told, that was what she was going to do.

"Got it!" Draco crowed.

"What is it?"

Draco instantly looked suspicious and Hermione rolled her eyes, "I'm going to know anyway."

"_De inimico non loquaris sed cogites_!"

Hermione gaped at him, "That's barbaric!"  
"That's Slytherin for ya."

"Don't wish ill on your enemy, _plan it_!"

"Yep."

Hermione rolled her eyes and decided, then and there, that she would choose something Greek, not Latin. "I thought we were supposed to be sending good messages to the students."

"It's good for the Slytherins."


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter ten.

When she had left that morning to go back to Platform 9 ¾ and collect the students, Draco had popped his head out of his bedroom door, laughed and then went back in to sleep. Keeping in mind what he had said about only retaliating due to _present_ issues, she had sent a nice little pimple jinx after him. When she'd get back, he'd either have _really_ big pimples on his forehead, nose and chin or he'd have figured out the counter-curse. Or! He would think that it was natural and just try cover up spells…no, he'd figure something was up if they just kept getting bigger. Either way, he'd figure out it was her and work out how to get her back. Ah well, something interesting was bound to be waiting for her back at Hogwarts at any rate.

Hermione walked past Neville and Hannah's small cottage on her way to Hogsmeade, so she could apparate to Kings Cross, by the looks of it, they had just gotten up as their was a soft glow coming from what looked like the kitchen.

Hermione, McGonagall had told her, was to go back to King's Cross and come back on the Express, so she could brief the prefects, Head Boy and Girl on the various jobs they'd have to do and what was expected of them, as well as keeping an eye on the skittish First Years.

She apparated into the toilets that had an 'Out of Order' sign on them. She walked out swiftly, a warm red beanie on her head, dark blue scarf around her neck, a beige coat, with a double series of buttons, wrapped around her and carrying her unobtrusive small bag and headed straight towards the wall between Platform 9 and Platform 10.

As soon as no muggles were looking, she walked through it. The train was just as impressive now as it was yesterday or the year when she first saw it. Students and their parents were milling around, some crying and telling their children to write every day or little First Years staring around nervously, tears soon welling, some students finding old friends and others just itching to get away from their emotional parents.

Hermione blended inconspicuously with the crowd as she made her way to the front carriage, near the engine. That was where she was to meet all the prefects and the Heads. Only a small amount of students were on board, but as time drew nearer to departure, Hermione knew it'd be packed.

Once in the cabin, Hermione cast a disillusion spell and a warding spell to stop any students walking in when she was changing from her muggle clothes to her Wizarding robes. Once again, she wore her black skirt and white blouse and over the top she wore her mossy green robes with her lion brooch. She tidied her hair and pulled it back into a loose bun, soft wisps falling out and framing her face.

The whistle blew, signaling that the train was just about ready to leave, so Hermione packed away her muggle clothes safely in her bag and lifted the wards, before carefully tucking her wand into a special pocket inside her sleeve.

Soon, the two Heads, Andy Doyle from Ravenclaw and Milly Hobon from Slytherin arrived, chatting amicably and Hermione smiled warmly at them. "Good Morning you two and Congratulations.' They beamed in pride, 'I'm Professor Granger and I'll be taking over Professor McGonagall's position in regards to explaining your Head duties to you and the role the prefect's have in this school, especially to the younger ones, so if you ever need help with something, just seek me out."

As she continued, Milly and Andy studied her as if they had just forgotten something they that was really important. Hermione shifted uncomfortably, but tried not to show it. Suddenly, Milly gasped, "Oh my gosh! You're _Hermione_ Granger! At first I thought it was so, but I wasn't sure!' she turned, excited, to a stunned Andy and tugged on his arm, 'Andy, it's Hermione Granger!' she turned back to a wide-eyed Hermione and, suddenly aware of what she had done, smiled sheepishly, 'Sorry, Professor, I just got excited, that's all, but can I be the first to say I can't wait for you to teach us!"

Hermione chuckled, recovering quickly, "I sure hope I get the same reaction from everyone else, they might even pretend they want to _learn_ something for a bit!"

Milly grinned as Andy poked her good humouredly in the ribs.

"Now, back to business. Before all the prefects arrive, I just want you to know that this year you will be handling the schedule of prefect rounds, you'll have to organize it around Quidditch practices, up-coming tests and any other extra-curricular activities the other prefects will inform you of."

The two Heads nodded solemnly, their excitement dying down as they got into their role as leaders of the school.

There was a sharp rap on the door and Hermione nodded her head; the door slid open of its own accord and the students standing outside looked up and piled in. Hermione heard Milly whisper a quiet, 'Wow, non-verbal and wandless…" She smiled at the girl.

"It's not as hard as it looks."

Slowly the compartment filled up with the Prefects of the different Houses. Hermione was glad to see that House hatred seemed to have disappeared in the wake of the war, as Slytherins and Gryffindors conversed politely with Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws.

Hermione gave the prefects the run down and the password for each of their commons, only letting the Heads know all four passwords. Like before with Milly, several others had decided that because she was 'The Great' Hermione Granger that it was noteworthy of a short hype-up of excitement.

Afterwards though, the prefects decided amongst themselves who was going to patrol the train and when, before they all filtered past, the last ones out were the two Heads. Andy cleared his throat and Hermione arched an eyebrow, smiling slightly. "Yes, Mr. Doyle?"

"I also heard… that there are a couple more new Professors this year." He looked down at her curiously. Damn boys, always growing taller each year.

"You heard correctly, there's Professor Lupin for Care of Magical Creatures, Professor Longbottom for Herbology and Professor Malfoy for Potions, as well as an absent and un-named D.A.D.A Professor."

Milly's eyes grew wide, "Wow, you're all war heroes… Are you going to show us any of your awesome Death Eater fighting moves?"

Hermione looked at them, surprised.

Andy cringed, "Forget Milly said anything, she's rather…easily excited and exuberant."

Milly frowned and hit his arm, before turning sheepishly to her. "Sorry Professor."

Hermione just laughed, "It just shows your eagerness to learn, so don't worry about it. But you should both be getting back to your friends."

The two nodded happily and left. Hermione sat down with a large sigh, how was she going to manage all this energy the kids seemed to have bottled up? Well, she reasoned, it'll probably disappear as soon as the 'Holiday Over Blues' set in.


	11. Chapter 11

**Disclaimer - I don't own any rights to the use of the characters, but I do it any way!**

**Author's Note - Hermione has some fun... The poor students...**

* * *

Chapter eleven.

They arrived at Hogwarts just after dark and Hermione sighed in relief. The new prefects and Heads had done a great job at controlling the students, but there were also occasional bouts of untrained magic from the First Years that Hermione had to deal with.

Hermione reached over to the window and opened it, shivering as the cold September air hit her skin. Having gained her animagus licence as soon as she had gotten out of school, she found she had a rather…unusal ability, because of her transfiguration prowess, she was now able to transform into any animal she chose, but was happiest in her true animagus form, so she now turned into a beautiful hawk, soaring out, over the train and keeping a sharp eye on the students as they made their way to the carriages and Hagrid started to herd the First Years over to the boats.

Satisfied, she flew swiftly out over the lake and in-between Hogwarts' towers, before gliding into the Great Hall using the owl's entrance. She floated down towards the teacher's table, where they were already seated, chatting and awaiting the arrival of the students, and transformed just as she was about to hit the ground. A couple of the Professors started at this, but quickly dismissed it and Hermione turned to McGonagall. "Everyone's here, safe and sound, they should all be arriving here in about ten minutes and the First Years in fifteen."

McGonagall nodded and said, "Thank you, m'dear. Now, here's the list of First Years, that you're going to have to call out and just wait outside the entrance here for them to arrive. All the students will obviously arrive before them, so just be patient."

Hermione smiled and took the parchment before swiftly exiting the Great Hall.

Once outside the giant double doors, Hermione decided to settle in, transforming, this time, into a small, white wolf, almost mistaken for as a dog and laid just behind the banisters of the staircase, her nose peeking through. This way, she'd be able to keep an eye on the students without any trouble. The most she'd probably get would be students trying to pat her.

The list carefully tucked between her paws and her nose peaking through the bars, Hermione's ears pricked as she heard the first of the students arriving from the carriages. They all roared up the stairs, making her ears twitch in annoyance at the huge amount of sound, but she still managed caught a couple of the conversations, mostly revolving around the change of staff.

"I hear that the new Professors are all war heroes!"

"You mean, Harry Potter's going to teach us?"

"No, but Hermione Granger is!"

"_No! - You mean __**the**__ Draco Malfoy is going to be our Potions Master?"_

"_I know, the sexiest and wealthiest man in England! Beats ol' Snape any time!"_

"I heard he was absolutely brill at collecting all these rare and unobtainable plants! Are you sure Neville Longbottom is going to be our Herbology teacher? We would be so lucky!"

"_My older brother told me about Remus Lupin! He's a werewolf, but bloody brilliant at D.A.D.A! Taught Harry Potter a lot of what he knows!"_

**Damn it, that's right, I forgot to give poor Nev and Remus the counter-curse…**

"I hear there's going to be a new nurse this year too!"

"Really? I hadn't heard about any of that."

Hermione's ears perked up further, she hadn't heard of that either.

"Yep, apparently she's from the South, was one of the A.N.Z.A.C s that came to help us fight You-Know-Who!"

"Wow!"

Hermione placed that piece of information away into her head so she could bring it up with McGonagall later. By then the first of the students had spotted her and a couple came forward, looking at her curiously.

"Is-is that a dog?"

"No- I think that's a wolf…"

"-You mean Filch now has a wolf to look out for any curfew breakers now too?"

"-Probably so he can hunt them down-"

"-Watch out, Filch is using a wolf to find stray students."

Hermione wagged her tail half lazily, grinning as she listened to the rumours becoming more diverse. By the time the last student had passed through the Great Hall's doors, she had become Filch's lackey for tracking and hunting down misbehaving students, a rare guardian in the form of a wolf imported from Romania, as well as a spy for the Ministry.

She stood up and stretched, scratched a particularly itchy spot behind her left ear and shaken herself, before calmly picking up the list in her mouth and sitting on the top step, in clear view of anyone that would round the last turn of the stairs. Her tail slowly swung back and forth as it hung over the step and she patiently waited for the First Years to arrive.

The First Years arrived with the general hubbub expected of excited eleven year olds and as the rounded the corner they came face to face with a white wolf that had huge whiskey coloured eyes and sat regally and patiently on the top step.

Most of them baulked, scared stiff with the encounter, until people from behind began pushing and the wolf lazily got up seemingly to indicate with its head that they should come up the stairs, also the fact that it carried something white in its mouth made a few tremble, thinking it to be a bone, but as they drew closer it became clear that it as just paper.

Hermione watched with amusement as the First Years looked at her, terrified, before being prompted by their peers to move. As they all quietly came towards her, demurred for once and shaken, she waited till they had all arrived and were staring at her silently, before she decided to talk. Not as a wolf, of course and Hermione didn't want to transform back into human form just yet, so she projected her voice into the air surrounding the students.

"Stay. Here."

They all looked around, absolutely terrified and none moved, so Hermione nodded happily, turned around and slipped into the Great Hall, the doors opening just enough for her to slip through then they closed behind her.


	12. Chapter 12

**Disclaimer - I don't own any rights to Harry Potter. So I'm not to sure if I'm allowed to do this...**

**Author's Note - Sorry, it's short!**

* * *

Chapter twelve.

The Great Hall was a big mess of things, the teachers, prefects and Heads trying to get everyone settled, but most were still trying to get in a last minute chat session with each other and as they were now friends with the other Houses, it made it even more difficult, as one set of friends would walk their friend to their house, talking, and when they arrived, they would turn around and walk with their friend back to _their_ house.

Hermione stared around in confusion, but her silent presence quickly became known and the students hushed and ran quickly to their places. The teachers all looked up to see what had gotten them moving so fast and saw a sleek white wolf, sitting at the entrance, staring at anyone who moved.

When they were all seated, said wolf trotted down the aisle to the teacher's table. The students and teachers all shrinked away from it in fear, except for McGonagall, Lupin and, surprisingly, Neville.

Well, surprising for everyone else, both he, Lupin and McGonagall knew it was Hermione and knew they had no reason to fear. When the wolf reached the dais, most of the room's population gasped as it turned into a breath-takingly beautiful young woman in dark green robes who held a piece of parchment in her hands. She whispered something to McGonagall, who nodded, clapped her hands, and the stool with the Sorting Hat appeared. The woman nodded her head, flicked a hand at two of the Professors who immediately smiled in relief, turned, grinned wolfishly at the assembly and winked, before walking back down the aisle between houses, transforming once again into a shining white wolf and slipped out the doors. Out of the silence came a long, slow, wolf whistle. Everyone turned to a smug Draco Malfoy, who shrugged cockily, "What?"

Now that the students had realised that he was there, they began gossiping about all the new additions, many of the older girls glancing and giggling his way. He rolled his eyes, uncomfortable with many of the girls obviously checking him out, even though he was now their teacher.

Hermione came back to the entrance of the Great Hall and was pleased to see that the First Years had, in fact, remained where they were, only quietly whispering, but that stopped as soon as she appeared. Carefully watching them, she quickly turned back to her human state. The surprise that registered on all their faces made Hermione chuckle softly.

"Welcome, everyone, to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. I am Professor Granger and through these doors you shall meet the rest of the staff and students here." She paused to see if anything had registered, but they were still in a state of awe, sighing internally, she kept going, "You will each be sorted into one of four houses, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff, Slytherin and Gryffindor. There is no need to worry about which house you get into, as you will discover that most house rivalries have diminished, except for Quidditch games and the House cup. Whichever house you shall be sorted into, you will stay in, they will be your family for the rest of your years at Hogwarts. For good behaviour or marks, you will be awarded house points, for any rule breaking or bad behaviour you will lose points and at the end of the year all these points will be added together and the house with the most points wins. Got it?" A few of them nodded and mumbled their responses and Hermione nodded crisply, "Excellent, now, follow me."

And she turned away, leading them all into the Great Hall. The rest of the night was a blur, the Sorting Hat's song, her calling out the names and finally dinner, but looking down on the students, not with them.

To perform the duty she had watched for years was like an out of body experience for her and when she had finally got to bed, she shook herself out of her stupor to remember to put up really, _really_ strong wards in case Malfoy thought of some form of revenge, seeing as how he obviously knew the counter-curse to her pimple jinx and she remembered enough to let Nyx out of her cage and give her the letter she had written Harry while in the train. Before sneaking into the bathroom for a quick shower before bed.


	13. Chapter 13

**Disclaimer - You know the drill**

**Author's Note - Heh, heh, yeah... it's short again... And Draco strikes back...**

* * *

Chapter thirteen.

The next morning, Hermione awoke to Nyx scratching at the window, a letter in her claws. She hurried out of bed and let the owl in, who then gracefully soared in and landed next to her cage, in the process dropping the letter on Hermione's bed. Smiling, Hermione fed Nyx some owl treats before getting ready for the day.

Putting on a blouse and skirt before slipping into her robes, Hermione didn't notice anything until she'd looked into the mirror.

"MALOFY!" she screeched

"Huh, what?" he skidded out of his room only in his pajama bottoms and half asleep, wand clutched in his hand.

"WHAT DID YOU DO TO MY HAIR?"

He smirked, blinking the sleep out of his eyes, "I didn't do anything Granger, isn't it naturally like that?"

"You moron! It's HUGE and FLUFFY and PURPLE! WHY DID YOU DO THAT?"

"Why did you jinx me?" Draco snorted back, on the offensive.

"BECAUSE YOU LAUGHED AT ME! YOU DELIBERATELY WENT OUT OF YOUR WAY TO LAUGH AT ME THE OTHER DAY! SO I DID WHAT YOU SUGGESTED AND ONLY HEXED YOU BECAUSE OF THAT! IT WASN'T RANDOM LIKE… THIS!"

"And that warranted a hex of pimples?"

Hermione turned her blazing eyes at him, "This is not over." She threatened softly, before stalking back into her room and slamming the door.

"Merlin's saggy balls, the shits hit the fan now. I'm in for it now…"

Hermione had managed to calm her hair down so it hung in its usual gentle waves, but she didn't have enough time before breakfast to charm all of the purple out…Malfoy had been very thorough.

She sat next to Neville, who eyed her purple streaked hair curiously but wisely stayed silent, nodded a quick 'morning' to Hagrid at the other end of the table (He decided that he enjoyed just being the groundskeeper, which was why Remus had taken the position) and read Harry's small letter as she nibbled mindlessly on her toast.

_Dear Hermione,_

_Ha! I can't believe you're stuck with ol' Malfoy! On the upside, he can drink Ron under the table so… yeah, that probably won't help…Um…how about, 'his best friend is your best girl friend's husband?'_

_Okay, I won't tease any more. You know what's weird? When I got my letter yesterday, it didn't say who my partner was. But! As a part of the requirements of this Marriage Law Thingy and the fact we have to share a house or dorms or something, I've had to give up my work as an Auror, (even though I technically haven't started yet, having only just gotten out of training) and am now coming to work in Hogwarts with you and Nev! Oh, and Malfoy. So I guess, my future wife works in Hogsmeade like Nev's Hannah, or something? But at least I'll be able to hang with you guys!_

_Lesson planning with you, Planting with Neville and playing Quidditch with Malfoy! What could go wrong? ;)_

_ See you sometime this week!_

_Love Harry._

Hermione read the letter with some surprise, she hadn't realized that he and Malfoy got along so well, otherwise he wouldn't have felt comfortable cracking jokes about him. She turned to Neville.

"Hey Nev, Harry's going to be teaching D.A.D.A!"

Neville looked over in surprise, "Really?"

"Here!" She shoved the letter into his hands and he read it in surprise as well.

"Wow, this is going to be fun!"


	14. Chapter 14

**Disclaimer - I do not have the permission of J.K. Rowling to write this...But I did it anyway!**

**Author's Note - Don't mess with Hermione...**

* * *

Chapter fourteen.

Hermione tapped her wand mindlessly on her desk, coloured sparks flying out and creating small silent fireworks, as she waited for her first class to arrive. She was skimming through her notes on her lesson plan; this class was a single period of Seventh Year Advanced Transfiguration so she was just going to have a mainly relaxed first class, sort them out with the textbooks and hopefully see what sort of spells they already knew and what they could possibly achieve…

Wait a minute… Hermione smiled to herself. Maybe she could do her class and get them to help her get revenge on her wonderful fiancé…

As the last of her sparks disappeared, her students began to tentavily come in and fill up the lecture hall the Hermione had re-modeled from the old classroom of just seats and desks. She did this after remembering the excitement of having raised seating during University; she thought it might be an incentive to at least look forward to the class, even if it was just because of the cool seats.

The students came in, looking awed at the new seating arrangements and the raised platform that Hermione sat on in front of the blackboard. She twirled her wand lazily through her fingers and silently watched them file in. When, she had gathered the last student had come in, she flicked her wand at the door, causing it to shut loudly and startle a few students. She smiled and got up, pacing the small platform, "Good morning everyone, I am Professor Granger, and yes, I am also Hermione Granger, but ask me for Harry Potter's autograph and you will find yourself as a cauldron ready for Professor Malfoy's First Years."

She smiled slightly to show them the threat was meaningless and they broke out in short, staccato, relieved laughter.

"Now, as I have no idea at what you guys have gone up to or what you are all capable, we are all going to talk about a big taboo subject."

Her eyes twinkled and a few students looked nervous, anxious that the War was being brought up already.

"I know you aren't allowed to use magic outside of classrooms here, but Circe knows how many times I've broken that rule. If you could have revenge on anyone, for anything…What spell would you use? Now, it doesn't have to be Transfiguration, it could be Charms, Runes…Hell, even Potions! Give me your best shot!"

The students looked on shocked as Hermione leaned back against her table and cocked her head interestedly. "You get House points on creativity and pain." She said innocently.

A Hufflepuff boy shyly put his hand up.

"Yes?"

"Does this have anything to do with your purple hair?"

Hermione glowered and the boy let out a small whimper.

She thought for a moment. "Who's got Potions next?"

Most of them put their hands up hesitantly, a mixture of the Gryffindors and Hufflepuffs.

A small girl with a pair of large glasses perched on her cute button nose cleared her throat hesitantly, "Ah, Professor? It's actually an Advanced class for all four Houses."

"Excellent. Change of plan, this will no longer be a discussion time, instead this is going to be a 'Gryffindors versus Hufflepuffs' competition. Whoever thinks of the most ingenius way to give Professor Malfoy a 'big' welcome to his first Advance Potions gets a 100 points for their House. The losing team has to perform said spell. But don't worry; I'll take the fall for whoever does it. Just show those other Houses what we can do! You have fifteen minutes." As she said this, the room immediately lit up and people shuffled in their seats to group with the other members of their House. Soon excited whispering filled the room. Hermione wandered up to the Gryffindor group first. They had all huddled around the small girl who had spoken to Hermione before and she was furiously writing down all suggestions.

"Ablattero?"1

"Acalanthus!"2

"Ha Ha, that would be awesome! Imagine Professor Malfoy as a giant Canary!"

Two boys laughed and high-fived each other in amusement and another, bustier girl huffed and folded her arms.

"But I like the way Professor Malfoy looks now!"

'Hmm… Lavender re-encarnate,' Hermione mused.

The small girl continued to write down other spells and talked without looking up, "But that's the whole point of this exercise, Nina, to change what Professor Malfoy looks like or acts through anyway possible,' she paused, 'what do you think of 'Agitantus'3?"

There was general agreement and Hermione smiled, she never thought they would get this involved in an activity, but she supposed, its what every school kid has dreamed of doing at some point or other, and now that they were being offered a punishment free way of doing it…It didn't really matter which teacher it was.

She silently walked over to the Hufflepuff group and they were just as absorbed in the task as the Gryffindors, Hermione heard them talking about a couple of good hexes as well. She walked back to her table on the platform and sat on her table top, crossing her legs and leaning back casually.

"Okay, and that's - time! What have you got for me?"

After a few brief seconds of shoving and whispering, a delegate from each House came forward, the small girl that had written things don for Gryffindor and a tall, handsome boy from Hufflepuff.

"Anserrus," he stated in a loud, clear voice and Hermione smirked.

"Interesting, now, please define the spell and its wand movement."

"It causes the victim to honk like a goose whenever they try to speak and the wand movements are a simple circle than a line through." And he demonstrated, waving his wand in a neat circle, before drawing it through the middle, cutting it in half neatly.

"Good work, 5 points for definition and wand movements and 10 for originality. Mr…?"

"Fallows, Professor Granger."

"Thank you Fallows, now Miss…?"

"De La Garza."

"Alright Miss De La Garza, what has Gryffindor got for us?"

"Aures Radiculae"

"Definition and wand movement?"

"It causes radishes to fall out of the victim's ear and the wand movement is flick down, right, left, then up right and completely down." And she followed it with smooth, practiced swishes of her wand.

Hermione nodded, "10 points for definition and wand movements, 5 for originality. You can go back to your seats now, Mr. Fallows and Miss De La Garza." The two walked swiftly back to join their Housemates and Hermione smiled. "Okay, I can tell you're all holding out on me here in regards to spell usage, but I can understand your hesitation. Today, Hufflepuff wins,' the Hufflepuffs cheered as the Gryffindors groaned, 'So Gryffindor, choose your caster, and maybe next time you'll win. 100 points to Hufflepuff."

The students all looked hopeful as Hermione grinned, "We have a couple of minutes left of class, anything you want to discuss?"

The same boy tentatively put his hand up again and Hermione sighed.

"Okay, yes, this may be some sort of revenge on Mal- Professor Malfoy for turning my hair purple."

The group sniggered, and the girl who reminded her of Lavender put her hand up as well.

"Uh, Professor, you know this Marriage Law?" the class fell silent and Hermione felt her face harden.

"Yes, what about it?" Suddenly Hermione's hackles were up, and it had nothing to do with the proceeding question.

"Do you know if Professor Malfoy is-"

Hermione spun around, shouting a quick stunning and disillusion spell.

Her stunning spell missed, but the disillusion didn't and the class looked on in amazement as Hermione didn't even bother to see who her attacker was as he rolled away from her spells, she casted a quick 'Protego' over her students and a disarming and another stunner at him. Both spells got him before he could react.

Wand raised, Hermione stalked towards the bound wizard on the floor, she sighed in relief and lowered her wand. With a flick of her wrist, the protective shield over her students disappeared, as did the binding spell on her captive.

"Malfoy? What in Merlin's name? Why were you sneaking around my classroom? And invisible?"

He grinned sheepishly and felt his jaw as he got up. "I was wondering where my Advanced Potions class was and I got here just in time to hear the start of a very interesting conversation. And I might've wanted to hear what you came up with…"

The classroom, which had been up to then chatting in excitement, suddenly became quiet and the group paled, sure that they had been caught even before they could 'do the deed'.

Malfoy smiled sexily in the direction of the students, his hair sweeping across his face and Hermione eyed him warily, her whole body tensed.

A couple of the girls, mainly Nina and her small group of friends, swooned and giggled.

"I believe they were going to ask you about the Marriage Law and my status-"

"Piss off, Malfoy, you get them when you get them, they'll be there shortly." Hermione growled as she all but shoved him out of the doorway and he grinned back cheekily at her students, "Not too long, Granger!"

The tension left Hermione, in a large woosh, as she sighed.

"Okay, until next time everyone, Professor Malfoy awaits,' Hermione smiled as she walked back onto the platform, 'Good Luck with your homework!"

Her students filed out of her room, nodding and whispering exuberantly, clearly excited at the showdown that had just happened, many shooting her awed expressions.

* * *

1 **Ablattero** _ah-BLAH-terr-oh_ Causes the victim to babble incoherently and incessantly.

2 **Acalanthus** _ahk-ah-LAN-thus_ Temporarily transfigures an object into a giant canary.

3 **Agitantus** _agg-ih-TAN-tus_ Causes a person to feel as if they are being constantly followed.


	15. Chapter 15

**Disclaimer - I don't own the right to do this. That belongs to J.K. Rowling. But I do it anyway, just like everyone else here!**

**Author's Note - Harry Potter makes his Grand Entrance...**

* * *

Chapter fifteen.

A couple of days had passed with various other small incidents, such as; after Malfoy had finally figured out the reverse charm to the honking and Hermione had gotten the small De La Garza girl successfully out of trouble, she had gone into her classroom only to find out that he had put the same spell on the door she had put on the Room of Requirement during their Fifth Year.

As soon as she or any of her students walked through the door, they were spit back out. To sort that out, she had taken her class outside, where they had studied the natural transfiguration of the 'Dancing Mushrooms' a small type of animal that had learnt to transfigure itself to suit the environment and hide from predators.

But she had later gotten him back when she had re-decorated his whole dungeon classroom pink and purple.

She found Nyx completely featherless.

He found Draco Jr. (the ferret…Get your head out of the gutter!) stark naked.

The Great Hall was abuzz during dinner on the second week with the feud going between their two new professors. Of course, they all attributed it to the fact they were childhood enemies. No-one had guessed that it was because they were betrothed and were releasing all the anger they had at the forced intrusion in their lives at each other. Of course, no-one knew they were betrothed either…except Remus, Neville and Minevra, and none of them said anything, finding the situation too funny.

Although the one person who had suggested that it was sexual tension within earshot of the two fighting found himself as a cauldron in Professor Malfoy's First Year class…It was the only time when the two were seen collaborating with glee. Eventually he occupied one of the hospital wing's beds after a boy with a bigger magnet for trouble than Harry and a larger aversion to Potions than Neville and Seamus combined had chosen to mix all the wrong ingredients together.

Suddenly the doors burst open and the Man-Who-Defeated strode in. The students all stopped in the middle of dinner to stop and stare, Hermione even noticed a boy with a fork dangling from his hand and food still piled in his gaping mouth and she wrinkled her nose. He walked past them casually and up to the staff table. Draco stood up and Harry stopped. The two wizards stared at each other, eyes narrowed. Draco jumped on top of the table, scaring the students who all drew back unconsciously, and over the side, to stand, eye to eye, with Harry. The student body drew in a deep collective breath, here was another infamous rivalry and they were waiting for blood to be spilt.

The staring contest lasted for a couple of seconds before the two burst out laughing and clapped each other on the shoulders.

"Harry!"  
"Draco!"

Draco steered him around the end of the table as the two continued to tease each other, laughing heartily.

"What are you doin' in this hell hole again? I thought I only had to be stuck with one third of the Golden Trio! Not two!"

"Aw, can't keep me from Hogwarts for long! Even if it is just to go to your wedding!"

"And who gave you the invite?"

"Hermione of course! I'm gonna be her Maid of Honour!"

"You're a bit too ugly to be Maid of Honour, aren't you?"

The entire hall was silent, gaping mouths everywhere, as they watched the friendly banter between two former enemies. Hogwarts got stranger every year.

Neville stood up from the other end and walked past the long teacher's table to happily greet Harry as well. Now the silence had turned to disbelieving murmurs. The three men continued laughing, until they reached Hermione's seat. She sat there, her arms folded and legs crossed, with an eyebrow raised.

"Harry, is that anyway to greet your best friend?"

He grinned a huge smile and bent down to enfold her in a hug.

"Just leaving the best till last!" He said happily, hauling her up and spinning her around as she squealed.

When he put her down, she grinned up at him, "And why exactly are you here? I know it definitely isn't for a wedding." This time she turned and glared at Malfoy who smirked back at her and waggled his eyebrows suggestively, leaving her to roll her eyes. The students had gone back to their chatter when Harry had greeted Hermione, so they now talked in relative privacy.

He smiled, "Nah, 'Mione, 'member? I'm teaching D.A.D.A here now!"

"NO! You're jokin' mate! Really?" Draco exclaimed, a grin playing on his face.

"Yes, really, Professor Malfoy. Welcome back to Hogwarts, Potter." McGonagall had walked up behind the four excited professors. The other three walked away leaving Harry with McGonagall who proceeded to give him the run-down on what was expected of him.

"-I'll give you one days grace, in which you will have time to review your lesson plans,' here McGonagall gave him a hard look, 'you do have a lesson plan, don't you, Mr. Potter." McGonagall stated and Harry hastily nodded, mentally noting to talk to Hermione later.

"Good. Now, you will also be dorm buddy with Mr. Malfoy and share a commons with Ms. Granger and Ms. Fletcher. Is that understood?"

Once again Harry hastily nodded and McGonagall gave him a hard look before turning away and returning to her breakfast.

"Whew!" He stated before collapsing in a chair next to Hermione. Draco and Neville had both left to their own spots on opposite parts of the table.

Hermione smiled kindly at him, "Its good to have you back Harry."

He smiled back tiredly, "It's good to be back 'Mione, now I just have to wait and see who my fiancée is!"

She patted his hand absentmindedly, "I'm sure she'll be brilliant. They can't marry just anyone off to the Saviour of the Wizarding World."

He frowned, "You know, I thought McGonagall would've given me a place like Neville's and Hannah's if my fiancée works in Hogsmeade.' He shrugged, 'they mustn't have gotten round to it yet."


	16. Chapter 16

**Disclaimer - The usual. I don't own Harry Potter.**

**Author's Note - He He He! We find out Harry's fiancee and meet the ANZAC... And, I don't have anything else written and will be away camping...Therefore, this will be the last chapter I will be posting until next week. So, unless you (for some crazy reason) actually _like_ what I've written and read it, then I'm sorry. For everyone else, this probably won't affect you in any way, but I hope you enjoy it regardless!**

* * *

Chapter sixteen.

"Oh, okay, will do." Hermione said to McGonagall as she entered her common room that evening, leaving her outside. She turned around to find Harry accosting her and waving a letter around.

"They've finally told me my fiancée and I don't know her! 'Mione, what am I gonna do?" he raced around the room frantically. Draco gracefully extracted himself from the couch.

"Well, now that you're here Granger, I can now successfully go to bed with out having to worry about the Boy Wonder doing himself in. Good night."

Hermione nodded back absentmindedly as she watched Harry go around in circles, blathering and on the verge of tears.

"Merlin Harry! Your reaction is worst than mine, and I have to marry Malfoy!"

This stopped him and he turned to her sheepishly and collapsed on the couch with sad puppy dog eyes.

"I'm sorry 'Mione."

She sighed, feeling guilty that she had exploded at him like that. The boy had been raised with no love in his life and had a very poor example of how a family was supposed to live like and love. He was just beginning to enjoy life and discover the wonders he had risked his neck to save and now he was going to be forced into a marriage. Not only that, but from his upbringing he had no idea of how to treat a woman like a wife without living in fear that he'd become his Uncle Dursley.

"No, Harry, I'm sorry. You wanna talk 'bout it?"

He shook his head dejectedly and Hermione sighed.

"You know I'll always be here for you and if you have any doubts or don't know what to do, come to me."

He smiled, "That's why you're my best man."

She smiled back at him, "Yeah. Now, tell me about her."

He looked guiltily at her, "Um…I only now her name…"

"So, read the letter!"

"Oh yeah!" He glanced down and read the pages, stopped, frowned, then read the pages again.

Harry looked at Hermione, confusion written all over his features.

"Apparently, she's like, 2 years older than me and is…here?"

Hermione looked startled, "Here? Where 'here'?"

"Um…' Harry glanced down at the letter from the Ministry in front of him, 'the hospital wing."

His eyes widened and were almost comical, if it wasn't for the concern for the stranger Hermione saw in there, and was sure were echoed in her eyes too.

"The hospital wing?"

"I-I should probably check on her…"

"Well, look on the bright side, at least it isn't Pansy Parkinson or Ginny!"

Harry shifted uncomfortably.

"Oh my Gosh! Is she?"

"NO! but, she is a complete stranger, I've never heard her name before…ever."

"Just because you're Harry Potter, doesn't mean that you know everyone."

"No…But she is a Pureblood and it says she's from one of the Ancient Families, but… I've never come across the name in any of the social circles."

Hermione frowned, "Well, lets check on her first, who knows what's happened."

Harry hesitated and then nodded before following her out of the portrait door.

"Now, where did I- Oh, yeah! But, that means that that isn't there…So where did I…?"

A thick lilting Australian (or was it New Zealand…) accent came through the thick doors leading into the hospital wing and Harry looked surprised at Hermione.

Hermione looked startled too, for a moment, before recovering and leaned in to whisper in Harry's ear, "I think that's the new nurse, apparently she's an ANZAC and came over to help fight, if your fiancée is in there, she may know what's happened."

Harry's eyebrows rose at this knowledge and he pushed the door open slightly and peeked in. He gasped, brought his head back in quickly and slammed the door shut, before leaning against it and groaning, the sound muffled by her soft humming and rustling of things.

"It's her! That gorgeous girl that I've had a crush on for years without knowing her name is the new nurse! And now I have to marry someone else!"

Hermione gasped and squealed softly, grinning, "Really? Oh! I can't wait to meet her!" Hermione's hand reached for the door and Harry grabbed it, panic in his eyes.

She rolled hers. "Honestly Harry, I'm going to meet her sooner or later."

Harry had the decency to blush and he let go of her hand. Hermione opened the hospital wing doors to find… no-one in there.

"Hello?"

"Oh! Hang on a tick! I'll be right with ya!" the Australian's (or New Zealander's) voice rang out from the far end of the room. She emerged from behind a screen, covered in multiple layers of colourful jumpers, highlighting her alabaster white skin. She looked to be a couple of years younger than them, with an air of sweet naivety, she had bright blonde hair and her eyes were a soft, muted green, going on an almost gold-ish colour, unlike Harry's piercing emerald ones, but held the same dancing spirit and looked like nothing could get past her. She saw them and immediately relaxed.

"Whew! I was worried for a minute that you guys were my fiancé and his mates!"

Harry frowned, "And seeing your fiancé is bad because…?"

"Well, it's bad if you've never met him before! I got caught up in this stupid Marriage Law too… That stupid Minister of yours decided to exert all the power he had and demand that the Commonwealth countries have the same law put in place. And from what I can tell, my fiancé is a big wig around here, probably in the Wizengamot, or something…So, not looking forward to meeting him!" She finished with an annoyed look on her face.

Hermione snorted, "I know what you mean! I have to marry Draco bloody Malfoy, an absolute pain in the arse!"

"He's not that bad."

"Ugh, trust you to say that, Harry! Of all people you had to forgive and become best mates with!"

"So, what can I help you with?"

"Oh, We're here to see Harry's fiancée, apparently she's been placed in here."

The Healer shook her head slowly, "No… no-one's been booked in here, not even the students, I've just been re-arranging my things."

Harry looked exasperated, "Then where's my fiancée?"

"Well, what does she look like?"

"I don't know! I've never even heard of her!"

"Well, what's her name then?" the witch asked, annoyed that they weren't getting anywhere, her hands on her hips as she glared at Harry, who glared right back. Hermione looked on, amused, she, of course, already knew who Harry's fiancée was, but was enjoying the argument too much.

"Alice Fletcher!"

The Healer looked surprised, before frowning in concentration. She looked up, eyes narrowed.

"Did you say your name was Harry?' suddenly asked the Australian witch (or New Zealand…hell, maybe even South African! Harry could never get which accent came from where, those three accents all sounded the same to him and the majority of the world, but if you ask an Aussie if they're a Kiwi or vice versa, they'd be hell to pay!), her face paled and her hands fell to her sides, 'as in Harry Potter?"

Harry felt his heart drop, seems like she's just another rabid fan girl too, he glared at her and nodded tightly.

The witch groaned, "Bloody Hell! So you're the one I have to marry! So, how important are you that I get dragged from Australia to live with you and 'improve relations' between our countries?"

Hermione and Harry looked startled, "You mean, you don't know who I am?" he asked, disbelieving.

"I know your name's Harry Potter, you're tall and have black hair. You wear glasses, trained as an…Auror, probably, and were raised by muggles. But that's it." She said quickly, her eyes running critically over him. Hermione smiled. She liked this girl.

"If you know all that, then you must know who I am."

She looked at him strangely, "No…that's called observation. You said your name was Harry Potter, you're standing in front of me, so the tall, black hair and glasses are a no-brainer and so is the job of an Auror, only a couple of professions require top physique and the fact that your wand was in a standard holster was a dead give away."

Hermione looked at her curiously, "What about the raised by muggles part?"

"Apart from the fact that I'm a Pureblood and he obviously has to be a Half-blood or a Muggleborn? The fact that he… well, neither of you, asked me what the Commonwealth was."

The two looked at her strangely. "What? And you never answered my question, who the hell are you and why are you so bloody brilliant?"

Harry blushed and cleared his throat, "I've survived the killing curse, about two times now…"

The Australian witch…well, Alice, snorted, "That's it?"

Hermione gaped at her, "What do you mean 'That's it?' That's never happened before!"

Alice smiled sheepishly, "It's just… I've heard so many stories of people who've claimed to have survived the killing curse, that… its kinda old news and harder to believe than if you've never heard of it before…Know what I mean?"

"What do you _do_ in Australia?"

"Not much. Keep going, sorry I interrupted you."

"And I'm the one who defeated Voldemort and am currently one of the wealthiest people in the world."

"Huh, so that's why that girl fainted when I said you were my fiancé. Interesting." Alice mused, before she turned towards the nearest window and opened it, letting in a blast of cold night air.

Harry glared at her, "Are you crazy?"

She glared back defensively, "No, I'm just used to having all the windows open, that's all. Fresh air 'll do you no harm."

He narrowed his eyes at her and flicked his wand at the offending window, causing it to close and he smiled at her triumphantly.

Alice's left eye twitched and she breathed deeply in and out, muttered an incantation that neither Harry nor Hermione had heard before, but seemed to be a type of full body binding spell. Harry completely froze, and as he didn't know the spell, he didn't know the reversal either, so he – The-Boy-Who-Lived and The-Man-Who-Defeated – was stuck. Alice smirked at him and then opened the window again. Hermione beamed, "That was amazing! I've never seen another person take down Harry except for me! Oh, and old Voldy, well, not really Voldemort, seeing as he's dead…Okay, just me."

The Australian beamed back, "He wasn't expecting it and he didn't know the spell, so I think it worked in a clear favour to me."

"I'll say! How many other spells do you know?"

Alice raised an eyebrow and looked at her disbelieving, "…If I asked you that, what would you say?"

Hermione blushed, "I meant, spells that we obviously don't know."

"Well-" the two witches walked through a door charmed to look like a wall and into the back room, leaving a frozen Harry Potter in a freezing room.


	17. Chapter 17

**Disclaimer - Okay, so this is the last disclaimer I'm going to write, as this is now going to apply to all chapters I write after this, excusing Author's Notes. I do not own Harry Potter or the Harry Potter universe, I am doing this without the acknowledgement or acceptance of the Harry Potter creator and its affiliates.**

**Author's Notes - Yay! Harry and Draco have a good ol' heart to heart...sort of...**

* * *

Chapter seventeen.

Draco walked causally through the dark hallways, deep in thought. As he neared the hospital wing he drew his coat tighter, gearing himself up for the blast of icy wind he knew would come from inside. He opened the door to the expected blast of air, but stopped dead at what he saw. Openly chuckling with the familiar Malfoy smirk on his face, he strolled towards a frigid Harry Potter next to the open window.

"Bloody hell mate, what did you do?" He asked.

Harry glared at him. Well, his face was still frozen in his last position, so Draco just assumed that was what he wanted to do. Still smirking, Draco pulled out his wand and performed the counter charm.

Harry gasped in a deep breath, glad he could move, before turning to the window and vindictively causing it to slam shut and sealing it with a Permanent Sealing charm. He turned back to a smirking Draco, "Come on, lets head back to the dorm," he growled before stalking out of the hospital wing. Draco followed, chuckling slightly behind the incensed Boy-Who-Lived.

Back in their dorm and finally hiding under several layers of jumpers and doonas, all Draco saw of Harry was the unruly black mop he called hair, his eyes and the tips of a very cold nose.

"So Potter, what did you do to cause Al to freeze you?"

He glared at him, "That bloody window."

Draco nodded knowingly, "Yep, I made that same mistake."

Harry snorted, "Bloody OCD Aussie – Wait, what do you mean, 'the same mistake'? And how did you know her name was Alice? And how did you find me? And how did you know the counter cur-"

Draco interrupted, "Slow down Potter! I know Al because she's my cousin. Sort of. Some wizards had to go with the convicts and the settlers to Australia and New Zealand to set up Wizarding towns there for all those muggle borns and such, and some of them were our Great-Grandparents. So when we had family get-togethers she was the only one near my age and if we annoyed each other, we'd try out different hexes...It took me a while to figure out _that_ counter-curse. I found you because, believe it or not, I was going to visit her."

He could just make out the wide eyes of Harry Potter.

"So you two are related?' he nodded and the other scowled, 'figures." He muttered angrily and Draco narrowed his eyes at him.

"What do you mean by that?"

"That it explains why she's just as mean and vindictive and cruel as you!" he exclaimed bitterly.

Draco's nostrils flared. "Don't you dare compare her to me! She is the kindest, sweetest girl I know! She's never done anything remotely to what I've done! She's given up more than you have and she's never let go of her childhood innocence! She's been forced to move to a different country to marry a complete stranger and you expect her to be nice and welcoming? I'm guessing you certainly weren't, so why did you expect her to be? What is your problem Potter?"

Harry just sat there, wrapped in layers and eyed Draco sulkily as he paced the space between their beds.

"I was cold." He said childishly. Draco raised an eyebrow and Harry sighed.

"I've met Alice before too. After the battle in Dover where the Anzacs were fighting the Death Eaters trying to gain control there. Some of the Order had gone up to help them, myself included. She'd gone straight from the battlefield to one the hospital tent as soon as it was over, but not to be healed. To heal. I went in because I was pretty cut up myself, and there she was, worse than me, going around to everyone there, soothing them, giving them pain relief and fixing them up, to help the staff there that had been working around the clock. She came up to me, and smiled such a special smile, fixed me up and moved on. She didn't treat me any different from any other of the people there, but in that brief moment, I selfishly thought she'd treated me with more love. And then I got this huge crush on her, I didn't know her name, where she came from or if I would ever see her again, but that didn't stop that, she seemed too kind to not be loved. And when I saw her again this evening and she was so cold and harsh…" Harry hesitated.

Draco sighed and sat on his bed, "Yeah, Al's like that. You know, she's older than me by a couple of years, but I've always felt that she was the younger one, even though she can do anything she wants and can kick butt, she's so naïve when it comes to certain things that I get protective. Hell, most people who know her get protective! She's so unselfish and so unlike me that's why I blew up when you suggested that she could even sink to my level.' he sighed, 'It's also because she threatens all masculinity, she's one of those people who seem like they should be protected, but she's so damn forceful when it comes to other people's needs that she protects them, not the other way around."

Harry was silent for a moment as he mulled it over. Now that he thought about it, Alice even looked younger, she had an air of innocence that would make one hard to believe that she had ever had an emotionally taxing day in her life, it wasn't hard to believe that people would love her like a little child and feel inadequate when they had to be the one protected by her.

"You know, she's never even heard of me." he stated conversationally.

Draco snorted, lying back and placing his hands behind his head, "Mate, everyone's heard of you. She was probably pulling your leg, waiting for you to ask her if she rode a kangaroo to school or work."

The blankets fell off Harry as he sat up suddenly, "_WHAT? _So she was just being sarcastic?"

Draco shrugged, "You get used to Australian humour after a bit. Just be wary if they ever tell you about how to ward off drop bears."

"Drop bears?"

"Eh, you'll hear of them soon enough."

Harry leaned back and sighed.

"To be honest, I've still got a crush on her."

"Heh, good luck mate."


	18. Chapter 18

**Author's Note - Hermione and Alice's turn to have a heart to heart later... _much_ later in the night... well, it doesn't get very far, but we have to save some conversations for later, right?**

* * *

Chapter eighteen.

Hermione and Alice had snuck back into their dorm when the moon had just reached its pinnacle. Well, they went back after Alice had discovered Harry's vindictiveness, promptly blew a hole through the wall next to it and conjured a round window with black swirling leading throughout it, completely out of place next to the tall imposing hospital windows, but lending a warmth to the place, like an odd piece of art.

As the two girls climbed under the blankets they were giggling as they reminised various events, mainly when Hermione had (rather hypocritically) stopped Alice from sneaking into the boys room to open all the windows, pointing out that Draco, as her cousin, really shouldn't be submitted to the same punishment.

Even when she had pouted and her large golden eyes were round and looking at her pleadingly as she said she'd put a warming charm over him, Hermione had remained firm.

Secretly, she would have loved for Alice to do that, but someone had to be responsible, and as it looked like Alice was far from that, the task had fallen to her.

Also, she had marvelled at the similarities between the cousins; Alice had the same lean, muscular form as Draco, yet had the soft curves of a woman. Hermione wondered if it was a Malfoy descendant thing that their eyes reflected their hair; Draco's eyes were a molten silver and his hair a shining white blonde, whereas Alice's green eyes were so light they looked golden and her bright warm sunshine hair was in stark contrast to Draco's.

"Hmm?" Hermione asked, jolted from her musings by Alice's shy voice.

"Oh, I'd just asked if we could open the window…I am really not used to having no wind in a room, be it open window or a fan… I know a spell that'll keep the cool out and make it warm…" Alice asked hopefully. Hermione sighed, she'd taken one look at the puppy eyes and had folded, "Okay…"

How could an older girl make her feel like she was the mother? Hermione just concluded that Alice had a very special personality and prayed to Circe that she wouldn't meet anyone else like her, or she'd lose her reputation and gain one as a push over.

Suddenly a warm breeze drifted over Hermione's face and left a faint smell of sand and honeysuckles… She breathed deeply and sighed, Alice must've enchanted it to smell like Australia too. She looked up from her pillow as she hadn't heard the girl get into the bed next to her only to see her sitting silently by the window, staring at the stars.

"…Alice?"

"All the constellations are so different…at home, I knew them all, I knew where I was if I could see the stars…here…I can't."

Hermione frowned, she suddenly realised that although she had boasted about being the brightest witch of her generation, she really didn't know much about other cultures and their magic…Not to mention their holidays, what they celebrated, even what their standing point on the world is.

"Alice?"

"Hmm?"

"What's Australia like?"

Alice turned her head at her and smiled before getting up and wandering over to her bed and getting under the covers.

"Depending on where you are, it's usually…hot. Immensely hot. One witch I knew who came from Cairns…' Alice took one look at Hermione's blank face and quickly elaborated, 'You know how Australia has that pointy bit on it's east part? That's Queensland, and near the top is Cairns, it's the nearest point between the Rainforest and the reef. Anyway, she used to tell me that the people there would joke that they only had two seasons; Wet and Wetter. With heat all the way around!" She looked shrewdly at the huddled Brittan, "Well, hot for you, the wet season is their equivalent for your winter, it gets rather cold for them, about 20 degrees Celsius and they're running for their jumpers!" Hermione visibly blanched at the thought of wearing jumpers during that sort of heat.

"And of course, the funniest part of Australia isn't the animals, it's the tourists! Do you know I've had some Americans ask me if they could borrow my kangaroo to get to their hotel so they could get the full Australian experience! My kangaroo! Can you believe that? Kangaroos are the most vicious-"

Hermione snored and Alice rose an eyebrow before grumbling to herself,

"It's not my fault its 10 in the morning in Australia now."


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter nineteen.

Hermione awoke the next morning to a freezing cold breeze… Alice's charm seemed to have worn off over the night and in the bed next to hers lay the Australian, belly down and snoring her head off. Her hair was wet as well, so it seemed like she had gotten up to have a shower as well, but had collapsed, asleep, on her bed as soon as she got back; she had yet to get dressed for the day and was instead under the layers of colourful jumpers that she had worn the other day, as well as various sizes and knits of socks and track pants.

She sighed and got up, stretching before reaching over to shake her, "Come on, we have to get ready now," she said feeling slightly ridiculous to be saying that to another fully grown woman and not as a teenager still at school.

Alice waved a hand and burrowed even deeper into her pillow, "Can't. It's night. Have to sleep." She mumbled and Hermione frowned.

"No, its morning, which means you have to get up and help the unfortunate students of Hogwarts who decide it's a great idea to not listen during class and end up with a tea kettle for a head!"

"SLEEP!" she moaned.

"I'll get Potter and Malfoy in here to wake you up!"

"UGH! You're like a nagging mother sometimes Granger… You know that right?"

"I have heard that on a frequent basis, Fletcher, as a matter of fact."  
"Not frequent enough," muttered Alice.

"What was that?"

"Nuthin'"

The two witches silently dressed for the day, Hermione in the bathroom after a shower and Alice in their shared room.

Hermione knocked on the door to signify her presence before coming in. She walked through the door and raised an eyebrow, "Don't you have a nurses uniform?"

Alice blushed, "They told me they didn't have anything available, so to just wear the uniform I had at my other job. That job was a medic in the Australian Air Force; Magical Division, so… this is it."

Alice was wearing some warm blue slacks and a crisp light blue, short-sleeved blouse with rank slides, showing the National Coat of Arms, and some badges, shaped like guns, presumably to show her proficiency. Her black shoes had a high shine to them and over the top she was hauling a black jacket. She only had to put on some aviators to complete the image of an Air Force Officer, Hermione thought.

"I didn't realise that there was a Magical Division in any Armed Forces, anywhere."

"I'm one of those…I think you call them Unspeakables here… Anyway, we have to protect our homelands and the Commonwealth(1). We're like a specialised part of the Government, a point of mixture between Muggles and Wizards."

Hermione looked amazed, "I never realised there was a place in the world where that could happen! You know, apart from the work links between the Muggle Prime Minister and the Minister of Magic."

Alice shrugged uneasily, "It has to, there is only a small wizarding community in our part of the world, in fact, there are only two communities; one in Wellington and another in the Chinatown of Sydney. Overall, for all of Australia, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea and the surrounding islands like Vanuatu, there is only one Magic school; The Australian School of Magic. And as there aren't many jobs you can get as a witch or wizard Down Under, we get jobs in relations with muggles, or move overseas." She grinned cheekily.

"As a matter of fact, that's how I became a part of the Air Force, a group of us decided to sneak out one Friday night and we came across the cadets recruiting and decided to join for a couple of laughs. When we got back, the teachers had already discovered where we'd gone and what we'd done, as you can tell, we hadn't quite mastered the art of sneakiness yet,'

Hermione hid a grin as she remembered all the times she, Ron and Harry had snuck around under the invisibility cloak,

'And they decided that we were to continue doing that as an extra-curriculum thing.' She shrugged, 'They then signed up the whole Knoking teams as well so we could discover how muggles flew without brooms!"

"What on Earth is Knoking?"

Alice looked shocked "You…you don't have Knoking? Oh!' she gasped, 'I forgot! You call it something like Quid-ditching – Quidditik - "

"Quidditch?"

"That's the one!"

"So, being raised in Australia-"

"I wasn't raised in Australia."

"But-"

"How many Irish and Scottish did you know who went here?"

"Well, there isn't an Irish or Scottish School of Magic!"

"And there isn't a New Zealand School of Magic either. Besides! The Australian and New Zealand accents are completely different! Like-like the difference between a British accent and a Scottish one! COMPLETELY different! I honestly don't see how people get them mixed up!"

"But, you said you worked in Australia!"

"Yeah, but I belong to the Australia and New Zealand Army Corps. The Anzacs. Which means both Australia and New Zealand. I just happen to be based in Australia at the moment."

"So… You're not Australian?"

Alice blushed as she turned around and started grabbing the things she'd bring to the hospital wing. "That's not strictly true, I'm half Australian. My dad was an Aussie and so my grandma got me an Aussie citizenship, even though I don't need one, being a kiwi an' all. I – I think that's why they want me to marry the 'Great Harry Potter'."

Hermione frowned as she too, began getting the things she'd need during the day, "What – What do you mean?"

"Well, everyone else is partnered due to compatibility and when the letter is opened, a spell is put on them to induce an increased attraction at every time of contact. With me… I'm one of the few people who are both New Zealand and Australian, and out of the few, am one of the females.

'So they did that so Britain's hero would be equally joined to the two countries, morally and thus strengthen the relations, socially, between Mother England and her southern colonies. And out of the three half Australian and half New Zealand girls, the one was in a serious relationships that resulted in marriage, even before the Marriage Law and the other was a muggle-born, meaning she had to marry a Pureblood.

'So, I was left. They didn't even bother to see if we were compatible, they were as behind schedule as it was. They just… packed me up and sent me here. For everyone else, it's not a business arrangement and they are set up with the best partner they could ask for. For me… It's an arranged marriage."

* * *

1 The Commonwealth of Nations, often called just the Commonwealth, is an association of 53 independent nations, all but one of which are former British colonies or related dependencies, aiming to promote peace, democracy and development. There are substantial economic ties and a shared history. These include Australia, New Zealand and Canada.


	20. Chapter 20

Chapter twenty.

Hermione blanched, "That's barbaric! And – Hey! Malfoy and I are absolutely NOT compatible!"

"I dunno, Drake and you have some pretty compatible qualities…"

Hermione narrowed her eyes, "Like what? Are you sure they're not just making an example of us too? A famous Muggleborn and an infamous Pureblood?"

Alice shrugged, "Wouldn't think so, there are enough muggleborns who are now war heroes to not make it totally necessary. If you weren't compatible, they wouldn't have put you two together, I mean, you're Hermione Granger, Wizarding Britain's jewel." She smiled. "Although, you are paranoid, meticulous, OCD, a nagging mother-type person, vain-"

"I am NOT vain!"

"Sure, but you think you're cute, right?"

Hermione self-consciously adjusted her jumper, "There is nothing wrong with how I look. The fact that men find me attractive has nothing to do with that."

Alice walked by her, reached up, ruffled her hair and grinned as she shrieked, before heading downstairs.

"Why did you do that!" Hermione's desperate voice followed her.

"You know, you sound just like Draco!"

"I do not!"

"You just yelled at me for touching your hair!"

"But he yells because he spends hours getting it right in front of the mirror, the vain prick! And I yelled because I just spent ages – Bloody hell, you're right."

Alice settled in one of the chairs, it was still early and they had a while to go until breakfast, "Don't worry, he'll keep you grounded in your flights of fancy."

"I am Hermione Granger, I do not have 'flights of fancy'"

"So, when you decided to do things for the 'better good' without researching anything and get into a whole heap of trouble, because what you did, didn't actually help… That isn't a flight of fancy?"

Hermione slumped into a chair next to her, "Malfoy told you about S.P.E.W, huh?"

Alice frowned, "Spew? No, you just struck me as that sort of 'do-gooder'"

"Wow,' Hermione blinked rapidly in amazement, 'you're good."

"Well, apart from being trained in psychology, which means I have to pick up on that sort of thing, I was pulling your leg." Alice smirked the Malfoy smirk…Must be heredity...

"What!"

"Oh, come on Granger, you Pommies say that too! I was jokin'! Of course he told me about that!"

Hermione frowned, "Fine, tell me about Malfoy then, since he's told you so much about me."

Alice's silent laughter slowed and she took a deep breath, "Well… He's a work-aholic, and from what I've heard, so are you… But I think you're reasonable enough to remember that there's time for work and there's time for play.

'But, with Draco, family always comes first, he almost flew over to Australia to lock me in my room when he heard that I was coming over to help with the battle. And…' Alice smiled sadly,

'He was that close sibling I've always wanted because my sister is so much older than me, but after this war… He decided to become my older brother/father figure!

'See, both my parents were visiting Aunty Cissa because she'd become so stressed…But Death Eaters attacked and Bellatrix…' Alice's lovely naïve face became distorted with sadness and showed more wisdom and pain than her years, 'well, they now have bed's next to the Longbottoms."

"Alice – I'm so sorr-"

"Forget it mate. Anyway! Draco – now, good qualities… He's smart, a lot smarter than me! Protective, vain (like you!) which means he cares enough about his image to not do anything (too) stupid, he laughs a lot (now, don't give me that face! He does it if he trusts you to not take advantage of him… which makes me wonder why he does it so often with me, I don't think he's worked out yet that I continuously manipulate him!) and my friends have managed to give him that good ol' sense of Aussie humour! Which is basically translated to, don't trust anything he says." Alice smiled sleepily, "Now you tell me about Potter."

Hermione smiled softly and looked into the fresh flames, "He is the most unselfish person I know-" she was interrupted by a sudden loud commotion upstairs as the two boys ran down the stairs, laughing. Actually, now that she looked, Malfoy was running down laughing and Harry was chasing him and shouting…naked? Now she got it, Malfoy had obviously taken all of Harry's clothes when he was in the shower and now Harry had to get them all back… Hermione blushed, mortified and glanced at the other girl in mental and emotional support; only to find her curled up in the chair, soundly asleep.

As Malfoy ran by, laughing, he called out, "Don't worry! It's jetlag! And she's slept through louder things!" Before shrieking like a girl and running even faster as Harry growled, almost catching him. Harry paid no attention to Hermione, she'd seen him like this before when he and Ron were dared to go streaking through the Gryffindor dorms, multiple times, during multiple Gryffindor parties. And Malfoy was a guy, he had the same stuff anyway. What Hermione didn't get, as she picked up her syllabus to make a couple of changes, was how much room did the two boys think they could cover before they crashed into something or ran out of space.


	21. Chapter 21

**Author's Note - Hmmm... I hope this chapter is okay, its mainly just Alice trying to fight "JET-LAG" (THE NEW ENEMY! ;P) and Madam Pompfrey trying for some decent conversation... Not with this Kiwi around!**

* * *

Chapter twenty-one.

Alice dragged herself to the hospital wing, half asleep, and in the back of her mind kept reminding herself to check out all the potion ingredients and books she had spotted throughout their commons.

"Morning Alice!' Poppy chirped out cheerfully, 'I say, do you know how this window got here?" she pointed to Alice's small, round, black-leaded window.

She yawned and then said sheepishly, "Sorry 'bout that, but bloody 'High and Mighty' Potter decided to Permanently Seal the other window shut and I wanted to let a breeze in."

Poppy looked at her in confusion, "Okay – I guess… Forgive me, but isn't he your fiancé?"

Alice plonked down in a chair, "Yep, and the reason why I am freezing cold in this bloody English weather, when I should be sitting in the sweltering heat of Australia during the summer."

"But it's nearing Christmas time! You know, the time of snow and ice…"

"Yeah, except Australia is in the southern hemisphere. Christmas time is the hottest time of the year! Christmas in New Zealand is probably just a bit hotter than summer-time here, though… But that's understandable." Alice chuckled, her eyes closed as she slowly drifted.

"Wait, Christmas in summer?"

"You've never been to the south of the world have you?" she commented with a sigh. Poppy glanced around the hospital wing, glad that there were no students in yet and sat down next to the New Zealander.

"Is it any good? I mean, I can't image Christmas without the cold!"

"And I can't image it without the heat! I just love a hot Christmas day! Everyone gathered in the only room with a cooling charm on it and laughing at the poor bugger who has to cook on the barbie outside, sweating like a pig, or all of us around the pool and in it! And the long Christmas break! That is the best!"

Poppy tilted her head and smoothed down her skirt. "That sounds a bit like here, except we gather around the fire or any source of heat. But, the Christmas break is usually short, our big one is in summer, you actually just missed it."

Alice shot up right, blinking in shock, "I missed the long break? But I was looking forward to that!"

"I'm sorry dear. But don't worry; you'll have enough time to be able to go to Australia for Christmas! That is, if young Mr. Potter is willing to give up Christmas at the Burrow to go with you."

Alice sat back with a groan, "He better, after all, I've upped my whole living lifestyle for him, he just has to give up one Christmas… And get jetlag… Hehehe" Alice chuckled menacingly… well, it would be if the witch wasn't dozing off.

Poppy coughed slightly and Alice blinked her eyes open.

"Sorry, I've still got jet lag."

"I was just wondering at the obvious abhorrent tension between you two. I heard that you had both been secretly dating and he popped the question to you when they announced the Marriage law…"

Her jaw dropped open, "What the hell? Where on all of God's Bloody Green Earth did you hear that?"

"…God? Never mind, it was just in some gossip pages, rather sketchy and all that, with absolutely no proof, but it made for a lovely story, our Saviour, matched with true love, found in a hospital tent…" Poppy sighed and Alice frowned.

"But, I only met him last night! And you read this…when?"

"Oh, about a week ago! You know, after that period of time that let people announce their engagements? Well, there was a big article, albeit unreliable, on Harry Potter's possible secret Australian lover and that he'd proposed!"

"I'm from New Zealand! And do you see an engagement ring?"

Poppy glanced up eagerly and deflated a bit when she saw the hand was indeed, bare. "Well, it made a nice little novella. Obviously made up, but still…"

Alice smiled slightly, obviously the older witch had hoped for a bit of romance in this sudden and life changing announcement.

"Don't worry 'bout it. I'm sure everything will work out fine, even if the start wasn't that crash hot…' Alice saw the older witch glance down at her own hand wistfully, 'And what about you? A handsome wizard going to carry you off as he's discovered that you are his true soul mate?"

Poppy sighed, "A handsome wizard _did_ do that… but he was lost during the first Wizarding War… I wouldn't be able to bare marrying again, and luckily, I've timed out. First bit of luck I've had in a while! That and my retirement."

Alice paused, "What retirement?"

The older witch opened her mouth to speak, but was interrupted when a very irate witch burst through the door.

"MADAM POMPFREY! IT'S AN EMERGENCY!" she cried, dragging, behind herself two 2nd Year Ravenclaw and Gryffindor boys. One had been turned into a boneless blob (the Gryffindor) But still managed to mumble something in the form of swearing and the other had a tea kettle that was blowing steam and whistling for a head and had the rest of his body knitted with wool. Alice looked at them surprised that Hermione's prediction of a kettle head was true.

Poppy tutted, "There's always one! Was it familiars into kettles today?"

Hermione frowned and nodded anxiously, "Yes, and that stupid boy decided to mix it with a Permanent charm as well! Then someone thought it would be great to try out that jelly legs jinx, but got it all wrong! It'll take me too long to figure out a reversal and I have to go quick, otherwise by the time I get back my class'll be a riot!"

Alice placed a soothing hand on Hermione's shoulder as she helped Poppy levitate the boys onto separate beds, "Don't worry 'bout it, M, go back to your class and we'll do our jobs. You can send them extra homework, if you really want to."

The Gryffindor on the bed moaned in more than pain.

Hermione just smiled, "Thanks Fletcher!"

"Yeah, yeah, now get back to your class Granger, before it's a bombshell!"

Hermione raced out the door and Alice turned to help Poppy, relishing with glee that she could now try out various spells and potions on the two boys to see if they reverted back to normal or not… She hoped for their sakes that they'd find the antidote quickly.


	22. Chapter 22

**Author's Note - Hehehe! This chapter is mostly in response to CheshireCat23's review on how can Hermione and Draco be paired, if Hermione is really a Purebood. Well, I've actually had that all sorted out before (in my head) and talked it out with ****kGIRLsongbird on how to explain it, I just wasn't sure how or when to and so I've decided, no time like the present!**

**P.S. I hope this makes sense... XD**

* * *

Chapter twenty-two.

Hermione groaned as she flopped onto the couch beside Alice, who limply waved a tired hand at her.

"I hate jet-lag."

"I hate second years."

Alice giggled, "Oh, yeah, how did that happen?"

"Those two boys decided they'd fight for my honour during class. By the way, how are they?"

"Oh, fine, we reversed the spells pretty easily, Poppy is keeping an eye on them for the night in case they revert back or there are some side affects we didn't cover for. Why did they- I mean what put that into their mind? A duel during transfiguration?"

"My guess is that they'd just came back from D.A.D.A where Harry's been giving them lessons in duelling and telling them those traditional stories, such as wizards duelling for the lady… Ugh, I'm going to kill Potter! He better have a kick-ass witch that doesn't need saving in his next story or he is DEAD!"

"Ohh! Can I watch?"

"What? When I kill him?"

"Yeah!"

"You're the Healer and his fiancée! You shouldn't be encouraging me!"

"Eh, I don't really care." She shrugged leaning back and smiling with a laugh in her eyes.

"You say that, but you don't mean it!" Hermione said desperately, looking worriedly at the girl.

"Of course! Granger, you really need to visit Australia or New Zealand. I don't think you'll understand _any_ of my jokes otherwise!"

Hermione blushed, unused to not knowing something or being thought in need of more education, even if it was in the black humour of the Aussies.

"I know! Have Christmas with us!"

Hermione snapped her head around, "_What?"_

"I'm gonna try and get Potter to have Christmas in Australia with me and my mates. We usually have a huge shindig, and the food is _glorious_! My sister will be cooking and _no-one_, not _anyone_, passes up an opportunity to have some of her food! Besides, Draco will be there, he hasn't missed a Christmas yet, so he'll probably be making you come too!"

Hermione frowned, "I dunno, I usually have Christmas at the Burrow and I might be asked to look after the students over the break…"

"Nah, they only ask that after someone has been teaching for at least 10 years here…"

"How do you know that?"

"Duh, the only relation I have that is close to my age is Draco and his Godfather is Severus-"

"Snape?" Hermione inquired.

"Yep – And when he didn't rock up to some of the Christmas parties he told us why."

"Oh, fair enough, I guess…"

"Besides!' Alice interrupted, her sleepiness gone and enthusiasm took its place, 'the place we go to is HUGE! It's at Charters Towers and there's enough space for everyone! We usually take our tents and pitch it up because there's not enough room in the house, so all the people who go to the Hovel-"

"Burrow."

"Right, they can come too!"

"I dunno, Molly usually likes to do the cooking…" She was grasping at straws now.

"She can help my sister, she's always complaining about how no-one helps, but then goes ballistic if anyone does who doesn't have the utmost skill in it."

"Still, there's a lot of people that go to the Burrow for Christmas and then there's my family as well."

"Mate, what did I say? Lots of space. Plenty for everyone! We have a fiesta way into the night! And our neighbours are a couple of kilometers – sorry, miles – away, so we go loose with the magic and just have the best time-"

"Wait, did you say camping? At Christmas?"

"What is it with you Brits? Yes, camping at Christmas, Easter, holidays, weekends, skipping school, anytime we can! It's hot in Australia in some parts, cool in others, but no matter where you can go camping pretty much anytime, anywhere… Except March. That's when the March flies are out and they HURT." Alice mused.

Hermione sighed, "I know, I'm sorry, I'm just not sure."

"Hey, you don't have to live there mate, just visit for a bit and if you don't like it, you can leave anytime you want. People are comin' an' goin' all the time."

Hermione smiled, "I'll think about it and I'll ask the others if they want to come too."

"Cool, no worries then! I'll do that too-"

Alice was interrupted when Draco burst through the door, he searched the room wildly before his eyes landed on Hermione. He walked up to her, a crazed and confused look in his eyes. Alice rolled her eyes and picked up the hot chocolate she had gotten from the kitchens on her way to the commons.

"My mum has been talking to your mum-"

"What? Why?" Hermione looked worried.

"THAT'S NOT IMPORTANT!" He yelled, still confused and now annoyed. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Alice subtly shake her head and raise an eyebrow and he sighed, chagrined, "Sorry Granger, wedding stuff I think. Anyway, I've found out that you're not really muggleborn…You've got wizarding ancestors."

"Yes, I already know that. Where are you going with this?"

"Don't you see! This is our way out! We're both Purebloods! They can't-"

He stopped when he saw Hermione slowly shaking her head, "Why not?"

"Because, I'm a registered Muggleborn. You know how my family are all squibs?"

"Yeah, but-"

"And my grandparents before that were squibs too."

"Yeah, but-"

"Now, my Great-grandparents were wizarding, but because the last two generations were squibs, my generation is classed as muggles. Therefore, even though I have a Pureblood ancestory, the ministry view as a Muggleborn. Do you understand Draco?"

"-No."

Alice sighed and put her chocolate down, "Drake, do you remember when I told you about the Muggle World Wars?"

He nodded slowly.

"And you remember how Hitler decided to eradicate all the Jews, because he had a personal vendetta against them, well, sort of?"

He nodded again, remembering the time when they had found each other on the Battlefield of Hastings, luckily not on different sides. As soon as he'd found out that she was planning on coming over to Britain to fight _against_ the Dark Lord, he'd joined the Order as a spy and he'd gotten his first mission; get the Death Eaters into the castle and kill Dumbledore. Anyway, he'd commented that there had probably never been this much blood shed before, with so many people across the world being involved. He'd fought with Canadians and Indians, as well as many others from Britain's colonies, even some Americans had been coaxed out of their shell to help. She'd turned to him with large sad eyes and told him the story of the World Wars. He had never been so surprised at how closely the wizards and the muggles resembled each other.

"Yes."

"Well, do you remember how they defined the Jew?"

"Ah-"

"If they found a Jew, he was obviously a Jew, but if they found a Jew, they were considered a half Jew, so they took them, but if they found the grand-child of a Jew, they were considered to only being, like, one-fifth of a Jew, so they weren't taken and recorded as one. The same thing applies here, because Hermione's parents and Grandparents weren't magical but were descended, by the time 'Mione came along, she was a muggle."

Draco sighed, "Damn, ah well." And sat on one of the overstuffed chairs.

All three sat in silence, dreamily staring into the fire, thoughts off into the distance, then suddenly.

"Hey Al, this year's Christmas party is at Uncle Roy's place, right? Not at Aunty Nell's in New Zealand?"

"Nah, Aunty Nell's hosting next year. You comin' right?"

"Course! I mentioned it to Blaise and he and Luna are comin' too."

"Great! I can't wait to meet them! Oh! Potter's coming too, of course and Hermione wants to bring everyone from the Hovel-"

"Burrow."

"Right, sorry, Draco kept telling me that was what it was called, but he was obviously wrong about that-"

Alice chatted cheerfully on about who was coming, listing various people, quite obviously other friends and relations from around the world and so she missed the daggers Hermione glared at Draco, who just smirked at her before joining the conversation with Alice, informing her of others who she either laughed in delight at, eagerly saying she couldn't wait to see or met them, or wrinkled her nose at, clearly sending the message that they were rather annoying.

Hermione smiled softly at last, after she had finished being mad at Draco. Alice was right, right now, Hermione couldn't see any of that selfish, spoiled little boy that tortured and taunted her for years. Here was a young man, laughing and enjoying himself, she was seeing a side of him that not many people saw…and she liked it.


	23. Chapter 23

**Author's Note - Another Proposal...**

* * *

Chapter twenty-three.

"What is _that?_"

Draco glanced up from the Daily prophet where he sat in front of the fire, took in a disbelieving Alice eyeing something on the coffee table, before looking back and lazily turning a page.

"A ring. Why, have you never seen one before?" He asked cheekily.

"Ha. Ha. Very funny. I _know_ it's a ring, but why's it here?"

Draco scanned the page and replied slowly, "Well, my guess is that it's Potter's way of proposing."

At that point Hermione walked through the portrait door, back incredibly late from seeing to a detention she had to supervise, "It's better than having the ring thrown at you though." She quipped and Draco smirked at her and blew a kiss and a wink.

Hermione glared and brushed past them to go to their dorm, but not after Alice had seen a light blush start to develop on her high cheekbones. She cocked an eyebrow and looked back at Draco, whose smile still hadn't left his face as his eyes followed her track up the staircase and into their room.

Alice smiled softly, she knew Draco had had a crush on her during their school days, whenever Hogwarts was mentioned, so too was Hermione Granger.

Aunty Cissa and Uncle Lusi had encouraged him to bury that feeling in case the Dark Lord found any trace of it and decided that she could be used not only as a bargaining chip against Potter, but with young Draco too. As well as give him a reason to send their entire family to an early grave.

Apart from that, they were proud of their son for looking past appearances and seeing the true beauty of wit and keenness in a girl, something they had worried he would never see. But now that Hermione had grown up into a stunning creature, Alice surmised that those buried feelings were coming back full force. She had no idea as to why everyone said he was so hard to read, to her, he was an open book.

She frowned and looked at the ring on the coffee table, it was a delicate band of white gold with tiny diamonds embedded into the pattern of a shining flower. That Potter person she didn't understand though, they hardly talked and so why the hell was he giving her a ring?

Draco watched Hermione disappear through her door and then turned back to Alice who was studying the ring with a confused expression and standing back from it, as if it would bite. She looked up at him with an expression that clearly asked, 'why?'.

"It's part of the Law to give your intended spouse, if you're a male, a ring to symbolise the engagement. If you don't the Ministry will give the female a ring anyway." Draco surmised for her and Alice nodded in understanding.

He went back to his newspaper, but she just edged away from the ring and bolted to her room. Draco chuckled, that girl just didn't know what to do in any situation that had even the slightest hint of romance, even if it wasn't romantic at all. He ignored its glow as it picked itself up and began to leisurely follow her.

* * *

Alice growled, the damn ring was following her everywhere and humming.

"Make it stop!" she cried as she hid under the covers of her bed, the ring buzzed above her. Hermione came in from the bathroom and chuckled.

"You have to put it on to make it stop."

Alice peeked out and glared at her, "That was it? Why didn't you say so before? I would've been able to have showered in peace then!"

Hermione grinned and shrugged, "Now you know."

Alice grumbled and sat up in bed, eyeing the ring as if it was about to hex her and she reached for it tentatively. Just as she touched it, it disappeared and then reappeared on the ring finger of her left hand. Alice looked at it, touched it, frowned and then tugged...hard. She grunted and fell off the bed in her effort to get it loose. "The bastard's stuck on there!" She cried from the floor.

"Yeah… I forgot to mention that…"

Alice sat up and glared at her, "Damn it, Granger!"

"Sorry, but I'm in the same boat too, you know."

Alice said nothing but continued to glare and tug at the ring and Hermione looked on amusedly. Nyx hooted from the corner and Hermione smiled at her pet. Alice had brewed her a potion that gave her back all her feathers, but she wouldn't be able to fly for a day. And now that her time was up, Nyx was anxious to fly. Hermione opened the window and watched her owl swoop out gratefully. Just as she was about to close the window, a small white hand appeared next to hers. Whirling around, she looked right into Alice's large, sad, golden eyes.

She sighed, "Can we have the window open again tonight? To- tomorrow,' Alice stuttered, 'I promise we can have it closed."

Hermione just took one look into those puppy dog eyes and relented. She was such a sucker. Hermione moved away from the window and Alice smiled hopefully.

They went to bed with the smell of the bush and a faint tint of smoke floating on a soft, warm breeze that night.


	24. Chapter 24

**Author's Note - The Duelling Club! Yay!**

* * *

Chapter twenty-four.

It was a light evening, but it was dark inside and the fires were only just beginning to glow as Hermione sat silently on her bed contemplating. While she had been seeing a different side of Malfoy with Alice she _really_ wanted to go back to playing jokes on him, it had tested her courage, her mind and gave her a challenge, especially since they had been doing it so as not to get caught doing something so immature. And even if she was pretty sure the rest of the school was placing bets on the outcome of this hilarious feud. The hair hackled on the back of her neck and she swung around, shouting out a quick Body-Bind at the person who had silently opened the door and was slipping through.

Alice didn't even blink as she ducked under the spell. She looked at her with an eyebrow raised from the floor and Hermione blushed, "Oh Alice, I'm so sorry! I-"

"Don't sweat it mate, I knew it was coming. Luna gave me this cool necklace that glows if you're about to be attacked, even if its in self defence or surprise. It's a kinda divination device that she's been working on, it doesn't work all the time, but still, it can work." The New Zealander explained, curiously fingering the bulky red and white pendant.

Hermione still blushed, "Oh. But still, I'm sorry."

Alice smiled kindly as she sat on her bed, flicking through an old textbook that Hermione didn't recognise. It must be an Australian one, she mused. "I know, I get edgy sometimes too, especially since after the war. But you really need to stop being paranoid, someday you're going to attack someone who doesn't know how to defend themselves."

She blanched, "Merlin, I hope not."

Alice just gave her a comforting smile and continued to read. Hermione frowned, "I didn't realise you knew Luna."

"Oh, I just met her! Lovely girl! Of course her theories on Nargles are incorrect-"

Hermione smiled knowingly and Alice continued on.

"-She had obviously translated her Runes wrongly, as Nargles don't reside in mistletoe, but in bamboo forests. I hate them, those bloody blighters stole my swag."

Hermione frowned, no one ever really contradicted Luna, they just let her be and allowed her to think that they agreed with what she said, it was just easier that way. "Wait, so you believe her?"

Alice blinked at her owlishly, "Don't you?"

"Why should I? There's no evidence that they exist!"

"There's no evidence that they don't either."

"So you're saying that Nargles are real?"

Alice looked at her oddly, "Yes, I thought I covered that when I told you that she had translated the wrong Runes and had been led to believe that they hang around mistletoe when its really bamboo. That and the fact I just told you they stole my swag when I was in China."

Hermione spluttered, "Th-that's not possible!"

"That's what everyone said when the Aussies sent you Pommies a platypus. They thought they were playing a joke by sewing a duck's bill and a beaver's tail onto the body of a rat and saying that it was an animal of Australia."

Hermione sighed. "Help me?"

Alice looked up, interested, "With what? Understanding the flora and fauna of the world? Or was it a rhetorical question…?"

"I want to play a joke on Malfoy."

"Hey, if necessary, you have the entire Australian and New Zealand Air Force backing you up! What're you gonna do?" Alice asked eagerly.

"Well, tomorrow is the first meeting of Lupin's Duelling club…"

* * *

The students gathered around the tall duelling stage, mingling and talking, excited even though they had to give up their lunch break to attend.

"Wow, it's even more packed then when Lockhart taught!" Harry whispered to Hermione from the back of the room, out of sight from the students, they saw Neville talking to Remus near the elevated platform.

"That's because you're even more famous than him, Harry." Hermione whispered back, smiling as Harry made a face at her.

"Ah, glad to see you two are here, now we're just waiting for Professor Malfoy." Lupin came up to them, smiling brightly.

"Wait, Malfoy's doing this too?" Hermione started to ask, but Lupin was already gone, striding onto the stage and getting the giggling students to quiet down.

"Duelling was once a tradition between two wizards when honour came into question, when they both wanted the girl or when one had slighted the other! Nowadays, witches are also a part of this tradition and - "

Harry turned to Hermione and, tuning Remus out, started whispering to her.

"'Mione… What…what does Alice think of me?"

Hermione shot him a puzzled look, "Alice? What has that got to do with anything?"

"Nothing." He said quickly, before turning back sharply and listening intently to Lupin, who was explaining the various styles of Duelling.

Hermione slowly turned her head back, contemplative and confused.

"Now, the Professors Potter, Granger, Malfoy and Longbottom have all agreed to help you with this club, so appreciate the time they're giving up to help you, because they have no need to do this. Starting it off, Professor Malfoy and Potter will be demonstrating a traditional duel to you, before Professor Granger will be showing you some more unorthodox fighting."

Hermione's eyes widened in surprise, "I will?" She whispered as Harry chuckled.

"-And Professor Longbottom will be demonstrating various other weapons used during a wand-less Duel. Now, students, please step back as I place a protective circle around this stage, so no stray spells can hit and hurt you."

They did as they were told and soon Harry and Draco were facing each other on the stage. "Remind you of something, Malfoy?" Harry chuckled.

"Yeah, I have the strangest feeling of Déjà vu… No Parseltongue now, Potter!" Draco joked. The two shared a silent chuckle before Lupin announced the beginning of the Duel. Needless to say, this Duel was much more impressive than the one between Snape and Lockhart in their second year; spells were swapped and deflected at a fast pace as the students looked on in amazement. Hermione eyed them with a critical eye, Harry was too defensive, not putting up much of an offensive attack, but that was just how he rolled… Draco on the other hand, favoured firing to Harry's left but that left himself open on his right hand side and as he didn't rely on defencive spells too much, he was getting a lot of hits there.

At one point Alice walked in, Madam Pompfrey having sent her in case someone hurt themselves…which probably would happen soon. Draco's back was to the door so Harry had full view of her arriving. He watched out of the corner of his eye as she walked up to chat with Hermione at the back of the room, before watching them with concern. Suddenly her eyes locked onto his and his concentration lapsed as he smiled goofily. That left Draco with the perfect opportunity to send him a Jelly Legs jinx with a Permanent charm; he had heard Fletcher and Granger discussing the kids who had been sent to the ward and thought the Ravenclaw kid was a genius. What he wouldn't give to see Potter as a blob.

Unfortunately for Draco, his spell rebounded off of Potter and disappeared into the nethers of the shield surrounding them. Cursing Potter, he renewed his attack. 5 minutes in and neither side was wavering, it was when a brother and sister (reminiscent of the Weasley twins) started a betting pool on who would win that Lupin decided to call it a tie. The two wizards, sweating and panting, shook hands and got off the stage. "Whew, I think that released a lot of pent up anger and stress, right there." Draco said, grinning at Harry, who smiled back.

"Yep, best anger management I've ever had!"

Alice nodded at Hermione as she went on stage and the students crowded around eagerly. She looked a bit uncomfortable at all the attention, even if she faced the students each day; to be on a stage was a new experience. She glanced over at Lupin and shrugged, she had no idea what he wanted her to do. Lupin walked onto the stage as well and addressed the pupils.

"Now, as you should all know, when fighting, not everyone is honourable and sometimes one has to defend themselves against not one, but two foes. And that is what the lovely Professor Granger will be demonstrating today, against the Professors Potter and Malfoy. The object of this Duel is for Professor Granger to escape and for Professors Potter and Malfoy to capture her."

All three paled, one at the thought of having to fight two trained Aurors, and the other two at being on the receiving end of Hermione Granger's wand. And she had some good old and forgotten hexes locked away in that massive mind of hers that would guarantee pain and a hard time for the hospital staff.

This time round the fight was really intense, the winning line blurred because the two male Professors were still exhausted from their previous Duel and Hermione was desperately pulling every spell she knew out of her arsenal. With a flash of brilliance, Hermione's wand exploded and dark smoke came bursting out and cloaked Draco and Harry. Thus distracting them, leaving Hermione free to skip off the stage without getting hurt and winning…rather triumphantly too.

Harry's voice came out from the thick fog, "Hello? Draco? I think I got her!"

Draco just grunted as he fell to the floor, the victim of Harry's misdirected Full Body Bind.

* * *

**Author's Note - Does anyone have an idea of what Hermione's diabolical plan is? And what does she need Alice for? Seriously, anyone? I'll take any ideas, I have a very vague idea, but I'd like to know what you guys want them to do!**


	25. Chapter 25

**Author's Note - If anyone would like a specific chapter dedicated to anything, i.e. someone, something, someplace? please tell me and I shall try to do what you want! I just don't know if people like what's going on, or if you want a different focus... If you've read thus far, Thank you! And I know no-one usually reads these things... I know I don't! ;P**

* * *

Chapter twenty-five.

After Lupin's rather exciting Duelling club, the hospital wing was full of hurt, transfigured and misshapen students, leaving Alice with her hands full and three English wizards and two witches with time without the strange foreigner.

Neville and Hannah had come up for drinks after supper in their commons and they were now discussing the upcoming Christmas holidays. Neville and Hannah had really hit it off and were now shyly courting. When Draco had pointed out that they were going to get married anyway, Neville had replied that it made them feel so much more secure in their relationship and not as if they were marrying strangers. Besides, Hannah really liked the romance of it.

"So, what are you all doing for Christmas?" Neville asked casually, Hannah curled up by his side, her head resting on his shoulder as she cradled a glass of wine.

"Burrow."

"Home."

"Family get-together... again."

The three looked at each other.

"What do you mean, 'Home'?" Draco argued.

"I mean, I want to spend it with my family. You know, my parents and sister?"

"Who is going to be getting married and will be spending it with her fiancé and your parents will likely want some alone time, what with the kids finally out of the house!"

"I'm not a kid!"

"Prove it!"

"Hey, calm down you two!" Harry soothed. Hermione and Draco turned their glare to him. Harry sighed, he was not used to being the voice of reason and it looked like he wasn't good at it either.

"What about you?" Hermione cried.

"What about me?" Harry looked shocked.

"Alice has given up her whole life in Australia and New Zealand to come here and you want to go to the _Burrow_ for Christmas?" Hermione shrieked, remembering the girl's words.

"Ye-Yeah?' Harry stammered, 'So?"

"_So?_ Take her back to Australia or New Zealand or wherever for Christmas! You wanted to know what she thinks about you? Not much if you deny her the chance to see her family again!"

"But the Weasley's have been my family since I was eleven-"

"Which means they'll understand that you have to do this! It's just for a couple of weeks! Not a lifetime!' Hermione heaved a frustrated sigh, 'Sorry Harry, I didn't mean to - I mean, it is only fair that you spend Christmas with them-"

Draco interrupted her while Neville and Hannah looked on with amusement, "Granger, do you want to go to Australia for Christmas?"

"Wait –What?"

"Well, since you are so adamant that Harry can give up his 'family' for a couple of weeks, I thought you might like to join him and visit my family down in Australia."

"Uh…"

"Yeah, go on Hermione. You do it and I will." Harry said smugly.

Neville joined in, "That sounds like a great idea. Christmas in Australia. That would be an experience!" He sighed wistfully and Hannah nodded, closing her eyes and snuggling closer.

"Yeah, from what I've heard from Alice, its quite an event!" Hannah said excitedly.

Hermione grinned, "Well, come with us!"

The two on the couch shot up.

"Really?"

"You mean that 'Mione?"

Hermione nodded, "Yeah, if that's okay with you Draco?"

He smiled charmingly and in that moment Hermione understood why he could have girls trip over their feet for him. When he smiled like that, he could charm the pants off of anyone.

"Of course, and if I know Alice, she's probably notified everyone for a possible influx of numbers!"

Neville and Hannah turned and smiled at each other before turning to the others.

"We'd be delighted!"

Hermione squealed in joy and Hannah joined her.

"So, who'll be there?" Harry asked as Neville drew in closer to the two males, leaving the females to discuss potential presents and what clothes would be needed.

Draco smiled, "Well, obviously you lot. Alice's mates from her old school and work. My mum and Uncle Sev. Aunty Kate and Uncle Jake. Actually, Aunty Kate is Alice's older sister and she _always_ cooks superb dishes. She's the main reason most people come actually! Her food! Uhmm… Remus and Tonks with little Teddy will be coming this year too, I think." Draco mused.

"What about her parents?" Harry asked, interestedly.

Draco and Neville looked at each other, pained, "Uh…they can't make it. They're in St. Mungo's." Draco explained.

"Oh. Did they get hurt fighting in this war too?"

Neville frowned, "Mate, her parents have been in their about the same amount of time as mine. And by the same witch."

Draco cleared his throat, "When I was being born and the war was, you know, starting initially, my mum panicked and Alice's parents came over to help her. My Aunt Bellatrix…well, she didn't know much about the other side of the family and thought they were just extorting information out of my mum. Needless to say… When Neville's parents are good again, so are Alice's."

Harry sighed and ran his hands through his hair, "And to think that when I first crushed on her, I knew practically nothing. I am so close to falling in love." He whispered. Neville and Draco shot surprised looks at each other before deciding that now was time for some fun.

"Oh, yeah,' Draco drawled casually and cleared his throat, 'And, ah, why do you like her?"

Harry, still in a world of his own, hardly comprehended that he hadn't thought it but was being asked it and he said wistfully, "Her eyes. And her smile. I thought I was the only guy in the world when she smiled at me like that."

Neville nodded solemnly, "A practised nurse's smile. Their mantra was 'always smile' because when you're dying or hurt, you don't want to see a grim face. I've heard some gruesome tales from her. One was a young Canadian boy that was hexed so bad that they couldn't help him, just comfort him, his guts were spilling out and turning green, but he just laid there and smiled up at Alice. He asked if he would get to see his mum, so Alice smiled her smile and told him "Of course" and he smiled back and quietly died. Right there. Alice later found out from his mates that his mum had died when he was fifteen. So, they always smiled, 'coz it might be the last thing the poor blighters would see."

Harry paled, "So she smiled like that in case I'd die? Aw, great!"

Draco sniggered, "Yeah, she'd probably like it better if you were a corpse anyway!"

Harry glared and threw a cushion at a giggling Draco and Neville.

"What about you Draco? Why do you like Hermione?" Harry asked smugly in retaliation.

Draco sat up and smoothed his jacket, in a almost primly away. "What do you mean? I don't like Granger." His eyes barely flickered towards her, but that was enough for the others to catch the lie.

Neville and Harry hooted and high-fived, "He's got it bad too!" Neville crowed as Harry cackled evilly. Draco sat there with a blush barely distinguishable on his face.


	26. Chapter 26

**Author's Note - Hey everyone! Sorry it took me so long, but I've had a hard time figuring out whether I'm putting in to much of the Other Character (Alice) in. I know I usually don't like reading stories when the Other Character plays a large part, especially when they seem so knowledgeable. It's annoying when it seems like they know what's going to happen and it's all playing out perfectly like they wanted, so I've tried not to do that. Although a large part of why I did this story was to open up to the idea that there is more than one form of magic that is used throughout the world... Hopefully I'm slowly getting there!**

* * *

Chapter twenty-six.

_Harry sighed and rolled his shoulder back, wincing. A niche of Death Eaters had been found and apprehended in Dover by a team of Australians, New Zealanders and Canadians and the Order had sent in a back up team, which had included him. The sky and landscape was dreary, the fog was rolling in and the sun had gone down, leaving Harry with the chills. Exhausted, he hauled himself to the nearest Healer tent. The fight had gone on longer then he thought it would, lasting the course of a couple of weeks and so many people had been lost. _

_Up ahead he saw the limping figure of a woman in an Australian muggle uniform help someone leaning heavily on her enter the tent. Only the Australians and New Zealanders had come in uniform, as all of them were professionals for their country's Defence Force, leaving a very small amount of civilian magical folk behind. _

_Shrugging to himself, he dragged himself up the hill and through the tall trees to reach the glow of the tents. People sat outside, lanterns set up and talking softly, those on watch nodded silently to Harry as he walked by, the rest were sleeping… or dead. He limped into the tent he had seen the two girls go into. _

"_Shh… Louie…Shhh… Come on, buck up! You've had worse scraps falling over!"_

_He peered in and saw the two girls from before, one was thrashing in the bed, moaning in pain as the other girl and a doctor tried to undo the curse and heal her. He limped in slowly and sat on a nearby chair. The ground was muddy after days of people trekking in from the fog and rain, so planks had been set up so the doctors and nurses could avoid the worst of it._

_There was another nurse attending to the bed beside them, presumably checking what the affliction was so the doctor had one less thing to do. Eventually Louie's cries grew less and Harry started to doze in his chair. After a while the nurse came by and shook him gently, "Mr. Potter? Will you be needing a bed?" he looked up startled. There were no beds… He glanced over the nurse's shoulder; the girl who had been helping the doctor was crying silently and her friend was still, deathly so. The doctor grimly levitated the dead girl onto a small tarp that he knew would be taken outside later._

"_Ah… No, I'll just see the doctor after he's finished with all the others… Unless you…?"_

_The nurse smiled sadly, "I'm sorry, I'm not qualified, but I think…" she turned away and walked over to the girl who was quietly wiping away tears. She whispered something and the girl nodded as the doctor looked thankful. The nurse came back over, "I'm sorry I can't do anything, but there's a qualified Healer from Australia or somewhere and she'll be able to help speed up the process."_

"_Oh. Thank you."_

_The nurse smiled and walked away. Through half-lidded eyes, Harry watched the slow progress of the nurse running between two patients at a time, writing down the curse or hex and the doctor and girl walking opposite down the aisle of patients, smiling and administrating the hopeful cure. Every now and then one or the other would solemnly levitate a body over to where the tarp was. The bruised, wounded and dying slowly trickled in, taking up the beds almost as soon as they were emptied, leaving Harry sitting in his quiet corner. After a couple of hours, the girl finally reached him._

"_Come with me." She said softly, smiling. Her eyes, although tired, critically examined him for any potential hidden wounds._

_He got up awkwardly and followed her to a bed, where he sat down, wincing. _

"_Has Sister Marianna seen you yet?"_

_Harry shook his head in the negative. She nodded to herself, and then rolled up both his trouser legs to reveal a huge gash running down the left side. Without her wand, she began to chant lowly and applied a soothing potion to the spot. He tilted his head to one side, "That doesn't sound like any spell I know or recognise." He stated once she'd finished. She smiled and got up, leaning heavily on her left side, "That's coz it's not. You know, not all magic has its origins in Latin. That was one of our basic healing spells we had to learn from the Aborigines." _

_Harry's eyebrows shot up, "Really?" he asked, interestedly. She looked him in the eyes and smiled bewitchingly. He caught his breath; for some reason, his voice got stuck in his throat and his brain fogged up, not for lack of trying though, did he try to speak, as he desperately tried to remember what they were talking about. He still couldn't say anything, as she lowered him on his back and raised his shirt to start healing the abdominal gashes he had. He didn't hear her reply to his question, just gazed at her as she softly told him various things about her homeland and quietly worked on all his wounds. Eventually she said, "Okay, you're all good. But, just sit there and have a rest before one of the nurses come and set you free."_

_He nodded dumbly and slowly closed his eyes. When he awoke, it was past midnight and there was only a single lantern glowing. _His_ nurse/doctor was sitting on the cot that her friend had been in, while the other doctor was healing a huge wound that gashed her side. She grimaced in pain and the nurse, (a different one, Harry noted) held her hand soothingly. He could just make out their low voices._

"_Why didn't you get this done earlier, girl?" The doctor asked hiding his anxiety behind annoyance and she grimaced again._

"_Sorry - Matt –Ugh – But those poor buggers needed –more - help than – me! Be-sides! I – bandaged –it! Ow!"_

_Harry looked at her again before slowly falling asleep, committing her face to his memory. He didn't want to think about the war, just her sunshine hair and golden eyes. She looked almost English, her skin pale, with the only evidence of sun being the splattering of freckles on her arms._

_Alice sighed, she wished this war was over. She wished she could go back to New Zealand; 'the Land of the Long White Cloud!' With her parent's small cottage, surrounded by lavender and roses. Maybe even the Australian Academy of Magic again! A large ship, switching each term from being stranded in the high canopy of the rainforest in the north, sinking in the sand in the west, creaking on top of the Blue Mountains in the south or hidden with the other sunken ships in the east. So many places to call home! _

_She would be glad to be gone from England and it's bloodied past. But, she'd never fully be gone from it, what with her parents, her Aunty Cissa and Draco there. And dear Uncle Lusi buried there as well. She winced as Matt, an old school friend, put on some burning ointment. She knew the brew well, having had to make it countless times during the terms in Western Australia… The Pila Nguru's near the Nullarbor plains there had one potion that could work for a variety of conditions against curses, hexes, blood loss and heat stroke… It worked quite well with snake poison too…_


	27. Chapter 27

Chapter twenty-seven.

"You work too hard darling."

Ron started; jolted out of his intense concentration of the many drawings he was writing notes on, spread out haphazardly around him, he quickly hid a few before turning around and smiling at his wife. Padma lent against the doorframe, her robe hanging loosely around her, an eyebrow arched as she looked at him critically, "It's after midnight! Leave it for tomorrow, please?" she asked wearily.

Ron grinned, got up and flicked his wand. The papers gathered quickly into a neat pile and the glowing orbs of light flickered and disappeared, leaving the light streaming in through the corridor and into his study the only source of light.

Ron and Padma were currently living in a cosy flat, despite the fact that Ron was now rich beyond his boyhood dreams because of his success as a wizarding architect. After the war, so many houses and buildings had been destroyed and architects became very sought after as people decided that they might as well renovate their house, change houses or start anew on a fresh patch of land. Padma herself was a Goblin Liaison officer; a.k.a one of the few magical folks allowed to work in Gringotts as an accountant.

Ron slipped his pyjamas on and got into bed with a sleepy Padma.

"I got a letter from Charlie today." He said, smiling lightly as Padma grunted sleepily and he softly stroked her round belly.

"He just got his letter, several weeks late! But he's already proposed." Padma made an interested noise, her eyes firmly shut as she tried to sleep.

"A lovely girl from America, Charlotte, he said she was called. And just as crazy about dragons as he is!" Ron chuckled and Padma smiled.

"That's nice, when will we meet her?" Padma finally opened her eyes.

Ron shrugged, "He said something about Christmas time I think."

"Ohh… That'll be lovely, I've always been interested in Americans! You know, they have some absolutely wonderful inventions in combining muggle technology with magic!"

Ron looked interestedly at her, "Really? Dad'll like that!"

Padma smiled and closed her eyes, "Yes, I know. Now, go to sleep."

Ron sighed as he lay back contentedly, "At least he didn't say she was Australian. If we had to go visit them over there, I don't think I could handle it! WAY too many spiders there!"

Padma replied annoyed, "America has a lot of spiders too, so does England, and the rest of the world."

"Yeah, but Australia has DEADLY spiders. One bite and BAM you're dead!"

"Darling, no spider can do that."

"Ah, but you don't know that because all it's victims are dead! And if one exists, its in Australia!"

"Are you sure? I would've banked on India."

"Nah, that's for snakes-sss." he grinned and hissed at her, as she swatted his arm lazily.

"Excellent, so we're decided, we don't go to India or Australia. Now Good Night!"

* * *

A black shadow slipped through the commons of three of the most famous wizarding war heroes ever. It hesitated when it met with the dividing paths of the staircase, (which had taken into its head (or banister) that it too could move and trick like the rest of Hogwarts' staircases) but ultimately went up one way, to be faced with a brick wall. After kicking the wall in frustration, the shadow turned around to see that the staircase had disappeared, leaving it stranded on a small ledge, high up in the ceiling. The shadow sighed and sat down, legs dangling over the side.

"Hey, has anyone seen Alice?" It was the next morning, Neville and Hannah had gone back to their place after midnight and the New Zealander still hadn't returned from the hospital wing. Draco's eyebrows shot up; he was just about to put on his robe when he heard Hermione's anxious call. He raced down the stairs, robe forgotten, to find Hermione nervously pacing, "What do you mean? Where's Alice?"

"I don't know! That's why I asked you!"

Suddenly they heard a soft voice, "Alice is fine. Alice is tired. And Alice is stuck."

Hermione and Draco looked at each other eyes wide with confusion; Harry was currently singing loudly in the boy's shower and hadn't heard their alarmed calls, so it couldn't be him. They slowly looked up. In a way reminiscent of Neville during their second year, Alice was dangling precariously on a ledge near the beams of the high ceiling. "I kinda took a wrong turn last night…" Alice explained.

"Are you a witch or not?' Draco said angrily, 'And what time did you get in last night?"

Alice glared down at him, her eyes rimmed with exhaustion, "I am a witch, but I don't know any spells that'll make me fly. I know I could've placed a cushioning spell on the floor, but I couldn't remember it. And it's not my fault Peter Pott's curse kept popping up with side effects, I was working on it till about 3… or 4…"

"Then call for help!"

"I fell asleep! And I know you! You could sleep through a train wreck!' Alice yelled, then muttered, 'Bloody Pom."

"Don't get snarky with me! And how could you fall asleep? You could've fallen and DIED!" Draco yelled back at her.

Hermione had to stifle a giggle; this was definitely not a side she had ever seen of Draco. She had seen the spoiled, wimpy, selfish side, the do-what's-right-for-the-family-rep side, the funny, let loose, nice-ish side and now, the (dare she say it?) fatherly side…

She could almost picture him shaking a finger at Alice, no…wait… that was actually happening…

Hermione smirked she now had the perfect catalyst to pull off her maddening scheme and Draco had given his weakness to her on a silver platter… _"Excellent…"_ she thought, nearly letting out an evil cackle but refrained herself just in time.


	28. Chapter 28

Chapter twenty-eight.

Hermione was stressing. Majorly. The Christmas break was coming up, which meant she had to devise individual exams for each class, (because if there was one thing she knew, it was that kids told other kids what was on exams) she had to organise the huge showstopper prank on Malfoy (and convince Alice to go along with it, although she had an idea that Alice would have no problems) and convince Ron to go to Australia.

The latter was probably going to be the hardest. Harry was trying to sway him by convincing other Weasleys to come; Fred and George had already jumped at the chance of introducing their products to a whole new continent and their fiancées from Delhi, India and Wales were excited to go too. Molly and Arthur had agreed excitedly and Charlie and his American fiancée were eager as well; they couldn't wait to get a gander at the Australian Dragon, known to muggles as 'The Rainbow Serpent'.

(Alice had confided in Hermione that she doubted that that would happen within the short Christmas break; as the 'Rainbow Serpents' were known as great experts at disguise and were descendants from the dragons that had taught the Chinese people how to read and write. Hardly anyone ever saw them, but it was rumoured that they were great conversationalists.)

Hermione twirled her wand in her hands thoughtlessly as she waited for her first class. It had become a bad habit; before teaching she had only done it occasionally, but now, whenever she had spare time she couldn't sit still and would have to fiddle.

In front of her was a large book on Australia that she had found in a long forgotten part of the Hogwarts library. Unfortunately, it had been written when Australia was just being colonised, so it was full of accounts of the long suffering souls that had been sent to begin the Wizarding colony there. Tales of beasts deemed mythological to the sane British Wizarding community then were apparently reality down there. Days of insane heat, flies and danger at every corner leapt up at her from the pages and Hermione nervously vowed to get a more up-to-date book that hopefully didn't scare her.

The Head girl, Milly Hobon, came flouncing into the room with a huge smile. To Hermione, she seemed to be an exact contradiction to all things Slytherin, she was nice and kind and happy; not cruel, cunning and selfish. But when Hermione had heard the other side of the story (a.k.a NOT Gryffindor rumours) of how many of the Pureblood families were under threat of death if they didn't support Voldemort, she remembered that Slytherin's house was for those of pureblood, not necessarily those that were cunning and cruel, that was just a by-product of growing up in English aristocracy.

"Hey Professor Granger! What're we doin' today?"

Hermione smiled, "Wait till everyone gets here and I'll tell you.' At Milly's disappointed face she laughed, 'Okay, we're just revising and going over how to tackle this upcoming exam."

Milly's face soured, "Naw… Can't we think up cool transfiguring spells to use during duels?"

"…You just had D.A.D.A didn't you?"

Milly's face turned dreamy, "Harry Potter is so cool. He's so nice and understanding and gorgeous…"

Nicolas Fallows walked by, "Ugh, Milly, do you ever think of anything other than famous people?"

Little Tita De La Garza walked by and flicked the end of her braid at Nicolas, "People have their quirks, Fallows, Milly isn't as obsessed with famous people as you are with those Muggle racing cars."

Nicolas gazed at her appreciatively as she walked by, before masking it with a face of cold indifference as the small girl with large glasses turned back to him.

"And I'm not as obsessed with cars as you are with books!" The handsome Hufflepuff smirked, condescendingly.

Hermione interrupted softly, "Settle down. Liking something means that it's a personal mark of respect. Milly obviously respects people who have gained fame through their archievments, Nicolas obviously respects the speed and adrenalin of racing cars and Tita obviously respects the knowledge that comes from books. There is nothing wrong with that. Now, I've changed my mind, today open your 'Transfiguration through the Ages' textbook to pages 563 and 578. Read them and do the questions."

Today's class was a tutorial for the Seventh Years in all three houses for transfiguration, so houses were mixed as they got into their small groups to study. Hermione transformed into her powerful wolf form, so she could lazily watch the students and frighten them into obeying her at the same time. The rumours that she helps Filch trap students straying from their beds at night hadn't completely dispelled yet.

* * *

"You want me to do _what_?" Alice cried. It was late at night and the New Zealander was still in her uniform as she lay sprawled across the couch.

"Please?" Hermione pleaded and Alice sighed.

"You know that it's tricky magic, right?"

"I'll buy presents for everyone at Christmas!"

"You were gonna do that anyway!"

"Yeah, I know, but still Alice! Please!"

She sighed, "Tomorrow night you said?"

Hermione punched the air in silent victory from behind the sofa and out of sight, "Yes." She stated calmly, her voice not suiting her actions.

Alice just sighed again, "Okay, whatever Granger. You owe me."

"Yep, you got it! But thank you so much Alice!"

"Don't thank me just yet."

Hermione collapsed into the small armchair next to Alice, who was finally shedding her boots and peeling off her socks.

"Oh My Gosh!" Alice exclaimed in horror as she saw the bottom of her feet.

"What?" Hermione asked lazily.

"Look at that!" Alice shoved a slightly smelly foot in her direction. Luckily, Hermione was far away enough not to notice it.

She squinted at the small white foot thrusted in her direction and shrugged, it looked a bit more worn and calloused than the average foot, but that was it. "What's wrong?" She asked as Alice looked at the bottom of her other foot desperately, almost in tears (her first foot was still shoved in Hermione's face).

"They're so white and soft! It's unnatural! I'm used to them being nice and brown and hard! Bloody Pommie weather, making me wear shoes!" Alice looked depressed.

"Aren't you a kiwi? It's cold down in New Zealand, you should be used to it!" Hermione scolded.

"Not as cold as this! And sure I was raised in New Zealand, but my schooling was in Aus, so growing up I'm used to not wearing shoes! And now they're all soft and squidgy, it's gonna be ages before they get that good hardness back again!"

Hermione shook her head amusedly as Alice dejectedly poked the soles of her 'soft' feet again.


	29. Chapter 29

**Author's Note - Okay, I know I said that I'd update when someone guessed who the character name from another story was, but I failed to mention that I'd wait to see if someone got it right... Sigh. Sorry about that! I did get one guess and it was from a random (sorry, there was no name!) who said it was Alice from Twilight. As it is rather controversial to mention any hostility or favourability towards that book, I will just say that, no it is not Alice. From Twilight. If it was Alice, I've been thinking more along the lines of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass. If anyone has any more guesses... I'll tell you next chapter! And I'm glad you've read this far! XD**

* * *

Chapter twenty-nine.

"I _really_ don't want to be here! Can't this wait until _summer_ at least? Even though that feels like winter too… The deepest, darkest, depths of Australian winter are the HOT days here! The world is so messed up. I mean; I'm more acclimatised to Australia than New Zealand right now! I never thought that'd happen…or maybe its just the cold…" Alice grumbled under her breath as she wandered the Forbidden Forest. She didn't mean to complain, but she _really_ didn't like all this cold. Sure, the snow was awesome, but when it's dark, freezing cold and the snow hides every land marker, she felt a swell of malevolence towards the British weather.

Eventually she found what she was looking for. A paperbark eucalyptus. When she had first arrived, Hadgrid had decided to plant a couple of Australian trees so she would feel at home (this was before she had told the embarrassed half-giant that she was actually from New Zealand, but had reassured him that Australian trees were just as good) and right now, she was really grateful for it.

He had also gotten Hermione to cast a spell over them so they would survive the harsh English winter. Those babies could live through bushfires, but they would never be able to last a snow-filled winter.

Alice heaved a breath of air and smiled, amused, as she watched it form in the air. Then, softly, she began a low chant, her arms slowly waving in a complicated pattern. The tree creaked and groaned as a few leaves fluttered to the ground, before the whole thing began to shudder and a couple of its branches fell to the ground. Alice's chanting slowed, then stopped as she bowed low to the tree, levitated the fallen branches and started to walk deeper into the forest, the full moon highlighting her way.

Lupin (Alice had always smiled sadly at his name, it was almost like the Latin word, Lupo. The Wolf. It was as if he had always been marked for the moon…) had taken the Wolfsbane Potion and had told her that he'd be lurking around the Black Lake, so she knew to avoid there, because even if he had full control of his mind it was best not to test his limits.

Soon, floating behind Alice was a large pile of branches, a mixture of Australian wood and the magical wood of Rowans and Ashes. In the large area of lawn outside the Hospital wing, Alice lit a large bonfire and still cursing the English weather (and also a Miss Hermione Granger) she shed her outer-clothing until she was standing bare-footed in snow wearing a thin t-shirt and shorts. Shivering, Alice began a lilting chant as she circled the huge bonfire, dancing. Every now and then, she'd take out her wand and cast a Latin spell over the fire.

You see, the Australian Aboriginals had a type of magic for dreams and that was what Hermione had wanted to take advantage of. All the students in Australia had to learn the native magic's of the Aboriginals, New Zealand Maoris, the Islanders, various African and Asian magic too, as well as the conventional European magic. It was because so many people had to go to Australia for magical training that the school had to acclimatise for many different cultures, this happened because for many students there was nothing for them in their country or there was huge fights between the muggle governments and the people, making it unsafe to practice magic for fear the government would put them to 'good use'.

Unfortunately, to mix different types of magic together was both difficult and dangerous. But as Hermione (for once) had no-idea how to control the other types of magic, she would have to do it. Poor Draco had no idea what was coming.

* * *

It was Hermione's job to distract Draco long enough for Alice to find all the wood she'd need and do the spell. Hermione had it pinned for an hour, but three hours had gone by and still nothing.

So it meant either;

(a) Alice was lost,

(b) Alice knew where she was, but not the trees she needed

(c) Alice had ditched and was reading a book

(d) Alice had found Professor Lupin and decided to have a chat/be eaten

(e) Alice was lost

(f) Alice had found the trees, but then gotten lost

(g) Alice was taking her merry time

...and did Hermione mention the possibility of Alice being lost?

But then there was Draco to contend with, he should be getting suspicious soon as to why she was still talking to him after three hours, usually she'd have gone to her room by now.

Hermione realised that after three hours, she'd only just thought of Alice and the huge prank they were going to pull because of something Draco had said that reminded her of the girl.

Hermione was actually… _enjoying _his company; the topics were up-to-date, his manners were teasing and witty and he actually cared about what he was talking about.

'Yet another side to Draco Malfoy…I wonder how many he has,' Hermione mused to herself. Her eyes widened as she realised that she genuinely wanted to get to know him better; know the man beneath the mask, to know why Alice, sweet trustworthy Alice, obviously knew, loved and trusted the Slytherin Prince enough that she feared no repercussions from what she was doing that could easily be traced back to her.

Soon though, Draco's eyes drooped and he quietly fell asleep during a lapse of conversation. Hermione got up, smiling hugely and did a small, quiet victory dance, realising that Alice had pulled through with her dream magic.

Hermione's plan was simple; give Draco a very vivid dream, but upon awakening, be unable to remember it, except that he has to tell everyone something very important, (like but not limited to) the return of (the long-dead, never-able-to-come-back, buried-six-feet-under) Lord Voldemort.

The mixture of magics Alice used in casting it would also ensure paranoia throughout the day too… Draco would go about with a feeling that someone was following and spying on him, something that would definitely get on his nerves, (because, as an ex-spy, he should be able to who is spying, right?)

On top of that, if he ever tries to talk about his paranoia or dream, he'll only be able to sprout gibberish.

Until the next night, where he will dream the same dream (and be able to identify it as such.) But, upon awakening he will be able to remember it… A dream of rainbows, teddy bears and fluffy little puppies.

Hermione sighed as she looked down at his face. Softened by sleep, he was still a commanding presence and Hermione was reminded that she was marrying one of the world's most sought after bachelors; he was handsome, loaded with money and as she had just realised, an enigma. And if there was one thing that Hermione Granger loved, it was a good mystery.

Planning all these jokes on him and trying to figure out how to evade anything that Draco threw her way, Hermione had never really stopped and looked at him, except for when he had asked her to put the past in the past and call a truce. Remembering that lovely feeling, Hermione slowly inched towards him and placed her hand in his. It was as she remembered; their hands fitting together, his large hand, strong and secure wrapped around hers. Right then and there, Hermione vowed that this joke would be the last. She smiled a small, blissful smile, but jumped when she heard a large bang coming from outside. Hurrying away, Hermione put it down to Peeves flying around again and went quickly to her bed.

* * *

"Hello? Hello! Hermione, are you still up? …Anyone?" Alice stood outside the portrait door, staring helplessly at the roaming wolf in the picture, who was watching her amusedly.

Hermione had told her that the passwords were to be changed that day, but no-one had informed her of _what_ the new password was.

Alice sighed in dejection, shivering against the cold. Even though she had donned her warm outer clothes again, everything was still freezing. Rolling up her sleeves and rubbing her forehead, Alice began chanting every curse-breaking spell she knew.

She had run out of spells and the wolf was still silently laughing at her. Narrowing her eyes, she created a replica portrait on the other wall, minus the wolf. The amber eyed _Canus Lupus_ suddenly decided to watch her uneasily instead of with contempt and amusement and she rolled her eyes. In a flash, the wolf found itself in the replica. Starting to howl a warning, he stopped when he saw the New Zealand witch fire a spell that caused his previous portrait to explode, leaving the door hanging open.

Alice glanced tiredly back at the wolf as she clambered through (it was really late, after all) and could've sworn she saw a 'Those-convicts-have-no-tact' look on the wolf's face.

Not wanting a repeat of the other night's performance, Alice collapsed on the lounge, ignoring her cousin-person-thingy and fell asleep.

Hermione and Harry awoke the next day to a pacing wolf going through the pictures in their rooms, the passage door hanging on its hinges and Alice and Draco snoring on the couches.


	30. Chapter 30

**Author's Note - Okay, I have come to the conclusion that I am a very confusing person. I'm one of those people who say things before realising that it makes no sense at all. This other character that I was talking about, is a character I have already written in, she isn't major and I just really needed a name... This character is... Little Tita De La Garza!**

**Hehe...yeah... I thought someone might've read 'Like Water for Chocolate' and picked up on it and told me I was using another character's name, so I thought I'd beat 'em to the punch! No need to apparently... Ah well! LadyFateContemplatingDisaster now has a new book to read because of my silliness though! XP**

**And, don't forget to tell me of anything that I've done wrong or written awkwardly or left out!**

* * *

Chapter thirty.

"_Are you sure you'll be alright?" Draco worried as he grabbed Hermione's hand and cupped her face with his other. Outside the abandoned classroom and all throughout Hogwarts, Death Eaters were fighting mere school students._

_Hermione smiled softly and whispered, "Yes, now go! I don't want him to find you with me…you'll pay the consequences! ...I couldn't have that on my conscience. "_

_Draco chuckled softly and rubbed his forehead against Hermione's._

"_I thought you were the one who was supposed to be avoiding the big, bad Death Eater, little Muggleborn? Have I got my wires crossed?" he whispered sadly, his eyes closed._

_Hermione lifted his chin and gave him a soft kiss, "I'd say you did, that big, bad Death Eater you're talking about happens to be my boyfriend!"_

_Draco chuckled mirthlessly, "Some boyfriend I turned out to be! I'm running back to my half-blood 'Master' who's entrenched in Pureblood beliefs and on the rampant for Muggles and Muggleborns! While my girlfriend…' he stopped and stared into Hermione's eyes as he stroked back a lock of her hair and Hermione leaned into his hand, '…my beautiful, intelligent, brave girlfriend, goes back to fight against the bastard."_

_Hermione smiled, "Don't be like that, we need you on the inside! I mean, even though you had to let the Death Eaters into Hogwarts to convince him, at least we could evacuate enough students to not arouse suspicion! You have got to be one of the bravest in the Order! You have to face Voldemort everyday, we only have to face him every now and then before retreating to lick our wounds."_

_Draco smiled and chuckled, stroking her face as her amber orbs stared earnestly into his silver ones, trying to convince him of her sincerity._

"_Thanks 'Mione." He looked at her longingly, even now feeling the pressure to leave in case a Death Eater might burst in and discover their secret._

_Hermione smiled and started to slip away, but Draco had a sudden panic attack and held her to him briefly, "You know I love you, right?" he whispered worriedly into her hair. Hermione started, they had been going out for two years, but Draco had yet to say that to her. She smiled in delight, "Oh Draco! I- I love you too! But please… don't get hurt." She whispered._

_The corner of __Draco's mouth lifted sadly, "No promises... You look after yourself, you hear?" They wouldn't see each other again until Voldemort or Harry were dead, that much they were certain of. And even then there was a chance that one of them would die in the mean time. Hermione would be helping Harry find the Horcruxes (Potter would be useless without her, that much Draco was certain of), while Draco stayed and bended to Voldemort's whim on the Order's orders._

_Hermione looked up at him and kissed his cheek, "No promises."_

_How Draco wished he'd gotten that promise._

"_Hermione,' he said anxiously, 'If anything goes wrong, go to Sydney, Australia and look up Alice Fletcher. She's my cousin, well, sort of distant relation, but she'll be able to help you, no matter what.' He pulled out his wand, 'I'll put a charm on you so that, no matter what, you'll know of Alice Fletcher and that she'll be able to help you."_

_Hermione frowned, "Nothing'll go wrong!"_

_Draco smiled grimly and quickly cast the charm, much to Hermione's annoyance, "Better safe than sorry!"_

_Hermione whipped out her wand too, "Well then, I'll give you a safe place too!"_

_Draco kissed the top of her head, "Can't darling, I'm taking too big a risk with you already, Voldemort will know automatically when you place a charm on me and he'll search my mind till he finds your safe place and you. I'll be seeing you." He grinned his charming grin and disappeared out of the classroom door, leaving behind a dismayed Hermione. _

_Outside, Draco leaned against the door to stop himself from breaking down. Revitalised, Draco stood up quickly and rubbed a hand over his face, taking a deep breath. He shoved Hermione's charm she'd written on a piece of paper deep into his pocket. Only his Hermione would've figured out how to change the Dark Mark, but he could only use it when the Dark Lord was safely six-feet under._

* * *

_Hermione lay wreathing in pain on his floor. __**His**__ floor! The floor of the house he had one day hoped to bring her to as a potential bride, not as a torture victim! She was so committed to her cause and her friend that she'd be tortured and not give anything away. Still, that was the Hermione he knew and loved. Even if she no longer loved him. Harry, Ron and himself had become good friends (albeit, secret ones. He had an image to uphold, afterall!) in the time he'd been dating Hermione, simply because if he wanted Hermione, he got them too. _

_And __when he had managed to sneak down to the dungeons to speak to them before his crazy Aunt Bella began to torture his girlfriend, they told him of the accident. In one of the many times they had found themselves ambushed by random people; Snatchers and the like, Hermione had been hit by a very peculiar memory charm that wiped away her most recently precious memories and anything linking them. It had been their bittersweet farewell that had been wiped, and as such, all their good times as boyfriend and girlfriend that they'd had together was gone from her memory too. Draco was in a state of shock and heartache afterwards, but he remembered the most important part of the plan he had concocted with the boys during that time too and that was, to drop his wand and watch them apparate his Hermione away._


	31. Chapter 31

Chapter thirty one.

Exams were over. The cold had come. That meant one thing.

"CHRISTMAS HOLIDAYS!" Alice shrieked in happiness, running around the common room like a kid on a sugar high. Hermione made a mental note not to let her anywhere near the lollies again, Draco had warned her, but she thought he had just been joking. Hannah sat on one of the couches with an eyebrow raised in amusement, "Why are you so excited Alice? The Christmas holidays aren't that long."

Alice's smile slipped from her face and she seemed to deflate in front of their eyes. "Oh yeah." She collapsed onto the couch and stuck her feet moodily near the flames.

The boys had all left for the Burrow that morning (probably to avoid any more prank encounters, even though they had struck a truce after the whole 'Make-Draco-Paranoid-For-A-Day-And-Laugh-At-Him' thing) and the girls had decided that they'd stay in Hogwarts for the night before meeting everyone early the next morning. With Alice having run her energy out finally, she joined in their conversation that lasted late into the night before they all crashed on the couches. They awoke later then they meant to that morning, 3:30am instead of 3:00am, and rushed around, trying to gather all their things before catching the Thestral drawn carriages out of the Hogwarts grounds.

The morning after Alice had cast the paranoia dream spell over Malfoy, there was a large Quidditch game between Gryffindor and Ravenclaw. When all the students arrived they found their pitch burnt out with a large pit in the middle. McGonagall, not used to those sorts of occurances and how to counter them, as no student would dare interfere with Quidditch, had called up the staff to see if they had any ideas. Alice had crept away, repaired the pitch and returned before anyone had noticed. Draco, though, was pacing a hole in the floor, pulling out his hair, crying, "Is this what I was supposed to remember? Oh dear Merlin, I hope not! What if it's a curse? What if someone is going to go crazy or something because of it?"

* * *

Alice apparated back, looking slightly green.

"Okay, hold on, last trip." She sighed. She reached out and grasped Harry and Draco's hands. She felt her face heat up a bit as she took Harry's hand in her own and secretly marvelled at how comfortable it was, so soft but calloused with work and for some reason it tickled her gently. Harry glanced down to where their hands were grasped and smiled softly, before trying to subtly rub the pad of his thumb over her knuckles just as she disapparated. That lasted in the split second it took her to work her magic and she quickly let go as soon as they arrived.

Because Alice actually had to go between New Zealand and Australia at different intervals and was now forced to live in England because of the Marriage Law, she was the only one who had a registered International Apparation Licence and therefore the one who could side-apparate everyone to the apparating location in Australia.

The Burrow stood among the fields, tall, inviting and for the first time in decades, silent.

* * *

Moments later a slim figure apparated into the fields and approached it cautiously. When it had determined that no spells were going to be fired its way, it continued up the path until it reached the door.

"Mum? Dad? I'm home for Christmas!" Ginny Weasley called smugly, clearly expecting a wave of love to emit from the household. But the door remained shut and the house silent. Ginny frowned and pulled out an old key with various charms on it to deflect the wards. She unlocked and opened the door to find a silent household.

* * *

They had all left the Burrow, two by two, with Alice and their luggage before the sun had risen and were now standing inside a large colourful room, with a soft cool wind blowing through it (what was it with these Southerners and the need for constantly moving air?). There was a man and a lady standing at a booth in front of the door that led into a winding corridor. Hermione and Luna were chatting with Molly, and Alice shook off Harry and Draco as she strode towards the Custom Guards. No-one else was there so the Weasleys, Harry, Hermione and Draco as well as Luna, Blaise, Neville and Hannah dawdled after her, still chatting excitedly, but stopped when they saw the solemn faces of Alice and the custom guards.

"Really? That is so weird…"

"I know, it hasn't been this cold in a long time."

"It's just a cold snap though, right?"

"Yeah, a huge storm blew up from the Antarctic and 's hangi' 'round the Bight. A couple a' Southerlies are just blowin' all the cold air up the coast."

"Yeah, right? So you 'reckon it'll be over soon?"

"Yeah, she'll be right mate. Give it a' coupl' a days."

"Ta."

"No worries. Passport?"

With that conversation over and once everyone had gone through, they gathered on the other side of the barrier to hear what had happened.

Alice's face was contrite, "I'm so sorry, but it'll be cold here for awhile. So cold that people are going about with jumpers and jackets, and it's the middle of summer!"

Looking surprised, no-one shrugged off the cold gear they were wearing.

"Follow me." Alice said, leading the way through a twisted maze of corridors. Eventually she led them up a set of steps and pushed open a rusty door, letting in a blast of air. They all piled out to see themselves in another field, but one of sugarcane. "Oh, she's chilly all right!" Alice exclaimed.

"You're joking, right?" Hermione asked as she hastily pulled off her scarf and layers of jumpers, "This is like, warmer than a summer's day!"

"Mate, its 23 degrees Celsius! This is cold, even in winter!"

Everyone stared at her and turned as they saw Draco coming out, already in shorts and a loose t-shirt.

He shrugged at their looks, "Their definition and our definition of 'cold' during summer is very different."

Suddenly Alice jumped up and down waving. She turned to them excitedly, "Here comes our ride!"

Bouncing through the rows of sugar cane came a dusty old ute. It pulled up and a tall brunette with the same type of jumper as Alice (which, if Hermione looked carefully at, looked a bit like her early colourful attempts at knitting) jumped out to hug her and then Draco. She looked just like Alice, only older and with a darker complexion and she turned to the large group of people. "Wow, you've made a lot of friends! I'll just grab the luggage."

Alice smiled, "Everyone, this is my sister Amelia. Amy, this is everyone."

Amy ducked her head in a quick greeting as everyone said their hellos and she pulled out her wand, levitated all the luggage onto the back of the ute, before grabbing some rope and tying it all down.

She smiled, "Okay, everyone in!" She frowned in surprise as Arthur Weasley stepped forward with reverence and began inspecting the machine, going over it like a boy with a new toy.

"Wow…Muggles certainly are ingenius…I wonder…" he began muttering.

"Will we fit?" Hermione queried.

"You're right, we'll have to draw straws on who has to sit in the back and on the roof." Amy said musingly, and everyone started to laugh.

"Let me guess, bigger on the inside than the out?" Harry chuckled along with the rest, but stopped when they saw Draco hurrying to the passenger's door. "I bags the front seat!" he said possessively.

Alice looked at Harry funnily, replying, "No. It's just a car." She then proceeded to climb onto the back of the ute, "I bags the roof!"

Hannah paled, "But…isn't that illegal?"

Amy shrugged, "Its private property. We have a fair bit to go before we get to the road, so it's either this, or walk."

Fred and George looked at each other before charging for the back of the ute. They jumped onto the top of the bags.

"This is-"

"-totally awesome!"

Their fiancées sighed and hauled themselves up besides them.

"How will we ever survive those two?" Varuni asked in amusement and Polly shrugged light heartedly.

"I think that's the idea! Frighten us to death!"

"Molly and Arthur Weasley?" the two turned at the sound of their names. Amelia smiled at them and held a door open. "You two can sit inside." They smiled gratefully.

"Thank you dear." Molly said as she shuffled in, Arthur close behind.

"No probs."

Eventually everyone managed to get themselves sorted and into a comfortable position. Hermione had gotten the seat in between the driver and the passenger seat and Luna was sitting in Blaise's lap beside Arthur. Harry was clinging to the roof beside an excited Alice, a stalk of sugar cane hanging from her lips that she chewed and the Weasley twins, their fiancées; Varuni and Polly, Charlie, Charlotte, Ron, Padma, Hannah and Neville had all managed to fit on top of the bags and the roof as well.

"All set?" Alice asked, as everyone got comfortable. When she got all positive replies she banged on the roof and Amelia started the ute and set off carefully.

Amelia wasn't kidding when she said it was a while to the road; at a slow and steady pace they hadn't even got there in half an hour. By then everyone, having got over the novelty of riding on the back of a car, were complaining of cramps.

"You're a witch Alice! Why couldn't you've enlarged the inside to accommodate all of us?" Hannah complained, holding a hand over her face to hide from the glare of the hot sun as the car slowly rambled over the ruts in the path, surrounded by tall sugar cane. Alice turned around, grinning widely.

"But where's the fun in that?"

* * *

Below in the car, Hermione and Draco were being jostled together frequently. "Oi! Amy, can't you drive straight?" Draco complained.

Amy whipped her head around and glared, "You know it's the road, not me!' she turned her attention to the road and grinned slyly. "So… Is this your girlfriend?"

Draco flushed and Hermione frowned in amusement. "Amy…this is my fiancée."

"WHAT!" the car screeched to a stop and stalled while Harry Potter, the Chosen One, the Man-Who-Defeated, tumbled head over heels over the windshield and onto the dirt path they had been following. Rounds of laughter followed him, but Amy ignored them, squealing with joy.

"OH! Show me the ring! And when did this happen? Why didn't anyone tell me?"

Hermione, bemused, held up a hand and Amy grabbed it, inspecting it.

"Wow Draco, you must really love her! This is that family heirloom Aunty Cissa kept going on about!"

Hermione frowned at this and started to turn to Draco, who was avoiding her gaze, but was interrupted by Alice, hanging upside down and sticking her head through the driver's window. "What's the hold up?"

Amy turned to her, "Alice! Draco's getting married! Why didn't you tell me!"

Alice cocked her head and looked at her confusedly, her hair hanging down and swaying with her movements. "Oh I thought you'd've guessed, what with me 'avin' ta get married too."

"ARGHHH! You're getting _MARRIED_? WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL ME?"

"…Did…didn't you get the notice on the Marriage Law?"

"Marriage Law? But I'm already married! All I know is that you disappear for England and come back MARRIED!"

"Oh… That's why. I'll explain later!" Alice disappeared back to the top of the roof.

Meanwhile, Harry had clambered back up to the roof and his spot next to Alice. Amy shook her head and re-started the engine, "Why does no-one tell me anything these days?" she muttered, "Married! Those two! Will wonders never cease?"


	32. Chapter 32

**Author's Note - Okay...Um...I'm not sure how this chapter turned out...Whether or not I'm doing okay with this whole story writing business**

** either...So if you could tell me how I'm doing, that'd be great! Also next chapter will (hopefully) be just a Hermione and Draco scene...But, I've also**

** had chapters planned out, then in the last minute, write something completely different in its place and post it. A good example is that 'flash back'**

** of Hermione and Draco's last moment together...I was just as surprised as you guys with that one! Hopefully this chapter will meet with approval!  
**

* * *

Chapter thirty-two.

In another fifteen minutes time, the car-load of people came across another old dirt track that seemed to be divide the rows of sugar cane, across from them there was dense Australian bush. Amelia stopped and hopped out and Alice jumped off the car to stand beside her. The two New Zealand witches stood there muttering and pointing while the others lounged in the hot sun, feeling the affects of sleepiness.

Soon a large white, dirty school bus came rumbling into view from the left. Fred jumped off the back and slowly walked to the front of the car, the others soon piled in behind him cautiously. Amelia and Alice started waving and the bus pulled up beside them and the driver cheerfully stuck his head out of the window.

"G'day girls! These your mates?"

"Yeah Frank, do you think you could take 'em over to Charters?"

"Towers? Yeah I reckon, I'm taking a coupl'a tourists down ta Steak and Kidney, so I'll be able to swing over 'nd drop 'em off. Roy's?"

"Yeah, thanks mate, we've gotta pick up a coupl' o' others, so we can't take 'em."

"Yeah, she'll be right with me."

"Ta Frank."

"No worries girls, Merry Christmas!"

"Yeah, Merry Christmas!"

Alice turned around and smiled cheerfully, "I 'ave to go see to a coupl' a other things, so you lot get to take the bus with Amy!"

Hermione stared at the slow looking bus and said, "How long'll it take?"

Alice scratched her head "Well, it's 'bout 448 kilometers… which is 278 miles… So…" as she scratched her head, Ron leaned over to Harry with concern written on his face.

"Psst… Mate! Have you seen any spiders yet?"

Harry, who at that point had been eyeing the large spider crawling in between the cane stalks, shook his head, "Nah mate, she's right. No spiders so far."

The spider crawled into a small hole and seemed to close a door behind it. Trapdoor spider, something told him in the back of his mind; large spiders that lived in hidden holes and when it's prey went by, BAM! out it comes and drags it under ground. Something told him that it was highly venomous as well, but that might've just been paranoia.

Ron relaxed, "Oh, that's good! Well, if you see any, let me know."

Harry watched a beetle crawl over the trap door of the spider's hole. The next minute the beetle was gone. He swallowed, looked at Ron and smiled.

"Yeah, of course."

"Okay, so it's about the same distance as London to Dublin…I think, so… maybe an hour?" Alice finally said.

"Where are you going?" Harry asked curiously.

"Oh, I have to meet some friends, pick up a coupl' a things for Christmas tucker an' stuff. I'll probably be there in a coupl' a days."

"But you said that the journey's an hour?"

"Yeah, in the Sun Bus! Muggle way its about a whole day! Usually two."

Draco sighed, "Fine, I'll come with you." Alice beamed and ran up to hug the tall man, "Yay! Thanks Drake!"

Harry blushed, "Umm…I'll come too… If- If you want?"

Alice's brilliant smile was directed at him now, "Oh thank you! That's gotta be the nicest thing anyone's ever done!" Alice's smile turned to a pointed mock glare at Amelia, who shrugged, grinning.

"What? It's not my fault that I want to get in there early!"

"Don't take my spot!"

Amy smiled, "'course not, you're the only one who likes that place!"

"She's got a point Al." Draco drawled.

Hermione, now curious, spoke up, "I'll come with you too Alice, I've always wanted to go on a road trip!"

Alice grinned, "Great! Now I won't be alone! Unlike what someone wanted to do!"

"I repeat the word, what? Still not my fault."

Turning her attention to matters at hand, Amy yelled over everyone's excited chatter, "Okay! Everyone on the Sun Bus! Those who're goin' with Alice, stay behind!"

Everyone except Harry, Hermione and Draco stayed behind. Ron had to go with a heavily pregnant Padma and everyone else was excited to see where they would be spending their Christmas holidays.

Amy tipped her head to them and grabbed most of the luggage, leaving behind the four's suitcases. "I'll be seeing you lot later!" she called cheerfully, "Oh and Alice? We will be talking about this whole...not telling me thing."

"Duh."

With everyone safely on board, the old school bus rambled down the road.

"How is that going to be any - " the old bus suddenly raced to a high speed and disappeared " – faster." Harry stopped talking.

"Oh, it's like the Knight Bus." Hermione said.

"Yeah that's what Draco said when he first saw it too. Are you two comin' or not?" Alice called from the driver's seat, Draco lounging in the seat behind her. Harry raced to the front seat and Hermione got in the back next to Draco.

"Where to first Al?" Draco said lazily, his arm hanging out the window as she took off, heading through a track through the bush.

"Oh, I have to just say hi to a couple of muggle mates in Port Douglas and Cairns, then we'll pick up Aunty Jane in Townsville as we shoot by. I've got to get all the food too and some prezzies for the kids."

Draco chuckled, "What! You still haven't got Mary and George any presents yet?"

Alice glared at him, "They won't mind, they're two years old!"

"Which means they'll _defiantly_ be hankering for presents."

"Eh. I'll think of something."

"What about the others?"

"As I said, I need to get presents."

"No, you really need to get organised."

Hermione frowned worriedly, "How many people are there going to be?"

Draco absent-mindedly reached over and stroked Hermione's arm comforting and she was so worked up she didn't notice it, "Don't worry love, I've just bulked brought some elven-wine, spirits and Firewhiskey as well as a couple of toys for the kids there. We'll just divide and wrap them when we get there."

"Wait, for us both?" Hermione's mind was still playing over the casual way Draco had called her love.

"It'll be weird if they get different stuff from each of us, they don't know you, you don't know them, they'll just be giving us presents as one anyway."

Alice nodded, "The same'll happen with us Harry. I hope you didn't get British wine, Draco." She warned playfully.

"What's wrong with British wine?"

"Are we going to get into this argument again Malfoy?"

"I don't know what you mean Fletcher." As their playful banter continued Harry was still reeling as he realised that this was the first time Alice had called him by his first name…Well, it felt like it, the fact that she had just acknowledged that they were going to get married and would have to be giving out joined presents hit him too… He would have a family soon, he hoped desperately, if the playful witch fell for him as he'd done so for her, then everything would be right in his world.

Soon Harry was sorting through the CDs in the front while a song played on the radio and Hermione was curled up against Draco. The open windows were blowing away any conversation, so they just sat in peaceful silence, listening to the music.

"Hey Alice, when are we going to hit the highway?" Draco called.

"Ah,' she glanced in her rear view mirror back at them, 'Soon. Don't worry."

"Cheers."

A while later, an old bitumen road came into view and Harry sighed in relief. They'd probably follow that for a while before they hit the highway, which would give him time to adjust to the smoother riding. They'd followed the road for a bit before Harry, tired and cranky from the long and bumpy ride, cracked, "Okay, you said we'd be on the highway soon, is your sense of time as wacked out as your ideas of temperature?"

Alice glared at him, "What's that supposed to mean?"

"I'm saying that you seem to have a horrible sense of time and what constitutes as appropriate clothing for the weather! And! It looks like you don't know where you're going as well!" Harry ranted.

"Well!' Alice started to yell at him too, Hermione smiled sleepily up at Draco, who smirked down at her, both were enjoying the amusement of the fight.

It was strange, Hermione thought, that Alice and Harry, two of the most amicable people she knew, could get so riled up in each others presence, whereas she and Malfoy, who had hated each other for almost 7 consecutive years, where sitting there peacefully, enjoying (on her part at least) the others company.

As it was, Draco was absent-mindedly stroking her hair and Hermione wondered when had they gotten so comfortable in each other's presence for him to do that and her not to mind. But, getting back to matters at hand, Alice was now sulking because Harry had questioned her navigational skills.

Harry was looking smug as well, feeling as if he'd pulled one over the witch, the long hours of drive making him cranky and the need to be an ass.

Hermione sighed sleepily, there was only one way to solve this problem. "Alice? When will we reach the highway?"

Alice pouted and mumbled something angrily.

"Sorry, what was that?"

"I said, we've been on the highway for about ten minutes now!"

"Wha-?" Harry began, but then the road curved around to go right along the coast of Australia.

And it was. Right. On. The. Coast. The road edged along the side of a cliff that dropped onto a golden beach with blue waves and led up to the rainforest-covered mountain they were travelling on. The heat and flowers in bloom mixed with the salt and the sand gave off a heady smell that Hermione recognised as the same one that had floated on the breeze through their dorm on one of Alice's first nights.

"I tried to tell you, the highway can't get any wider at this point or we'd drop into the sea!" Alice said grumpily.

Hermione chuckled at Harry's embarrassed face and Alice's pointed annoyance.

"But…It looks like a country road!" he said despairingly.

Alice grinned sheepishly, "Well, it's that too."

Hermione turned her eyes up to Draco, "So, Draco, how much do you know about the muggle world? I'm guessing quite a bit?"

Draco shrugged and grinned sheepishly, "Actually, not a lot. Even though all the magical folk down here have to integrate a lot to the muggle methods and community, everyone was forbidden to talk about anything less than wizarding culture. This was in case You-Know-Who decided to do occlumency on me to see where my parents loyalty lied in the 'eyes of a child'."

He swallowed and looked out the window, "You know how I only started to call you the 'M' word in Second Year and not First? Well, it was because when I got home that first summer, my parents told me I'd have to call people that in order to keep up appearances… I- I'm sorry for all the pain I caused. Do you… forgive me?"

Hermione surprised herself when she reached up and kissed him on the cheek.

"Of course."

The rest of the ride was done in a comfortable silence.

Soon afterwards, the bush began to thin out and more and more houses with large gardens filled with trees and wild bushes appeared and Alice began worrying her lip.

"Uh…guys? As my friends are muggles… that means that we have to pretend we are _really_ in love and are getting married by choice…"

"Don't sweat it." Draco called and Harry looked back at him, their eyes meeting, and Draco could tell _exactly_ what Harry was thinking, 'Easy for you to say, you're in love with the girl and deep down, she's in love with you too. I'm stuck with a girl that I like, but who thinks I'm a egotistical nationalism masochist.'

Alice blushed, "But…that means…you know…holding hands and stuff."

"And kissing." Draco added amused.

She paled, "Blimey."

Hermione blushed, for some reason in the time that they had been together, pranked each other and confided in each other, she was rearing and ready to have a go at kissing Draco. 'Pretending' to kiss would be as good a start as any. But then she frowned as she thought of the other girls reaction, "Alice, did you have a boyfriend?"

"Of course not! Why would anyone want to go out with me?"

Harry at that point, who'd been sipping a bottle of water, started to choke.

She glanced coolly over at him. "I'm not helping you, if that's what you want."

Another glance between the boys asked, 'Is she for real?'

Hermione nodded, "That's okay, I didn't date during Uni either."

Draco smiled, that had been the Weasleys and Harry's fault. When Hermione had lost her memory, they had done everything in their power to not let anyone else date her, so that when the time was right, Draco could try and win her over again. That time had been forced because of the Marriage Law, but it left her heart open to him as well.

"No, I mean I've _never_ had a boyfriend, not in Primary school or High school or Uni. Never means not ever."

"So you haven't even had your first kiss?"

"You need a boy for that, so no."

Harry rose an eyebrow, "I had mine when I was about fourteen."

"No need to boast!"

"And you're, what, twenty two?" Harry continued shamelessly.

The car screeched to a halt.

"Alice-" Draco began, but before he could blink, Harry Potter was sailing, spelled petrified, through the passenger door and onto the side of the road. Luckily, the highway was quiet, i.e. no one else was there.

Alice closed the door and drove off.

Hermione sat bolt upright, "You can't leave him there!"

"Don't worry, I'll just drop you two off in town and come back for him before we go to my friends. You can exchange your pounds and Galleons for Australian dollars and get some things or whatnot while I'm gone.' Alice mumbled darkly, 'I hope someone's told him about Drop bears and that he's terrified stiff."

"Alice, he's petrified."

"So?"

"That means he's already frozen,' Draco sniggered then sighed at Alice's questioning eyebrow, "Fine, yes, I told him about the Drop bears during one of the many times he's asked me about the differences in Australia and England."

"Excellent."

Draco whispered to a perturbed Hermione, "Never piss off an Aussie."

"I'M KIWI DAMNIT!"


	33. Chapter 33

**Author's note - Beware the Jub Jub Bird and the Bandersnatch! ...Not quite sure what that has to do with the story or this chapter, but hey! Why not!**

* * *

Chapter thirty-three.

Draco and Hermione watched as Alice drove off to pick Harry up.

"Is it just me, or is Alice acting weirdly?" Hermione asked, her head cocked to the side.

Draco stared after the truck for a bit, then,"…Nah. It's probably PMS."

Hermione glared at him, "You can't blame PMS every time a girl is moody. What about when guys are moody? PMS has nothing to do with that, so why does it have anything to do with the situation now?"

"Have you ever seen Alice's mood swing so much? She was happy this morning and now suddenly she's freezing Wonder boy and ditching him on the side of the road? I can't think of anything else."

Hermione sighed, "I still think it has nothing to do with PMS."

Draco smirked charmingly at her, "At any rate Potter has to deal with her now,' he held out his arm and she took it, shaking off her odd feeling, 'now let's find these Muggle Christmas Markets!" he said enthusiastically.

Hermione laughed, "Well the first thing we're going to have to get is money and then hats. Otherwise we're going to be like fried tomatoes tomorrow!"

Draco nodded his agreement and the two set off, laughing and chatting, the foreign air loosening them out like nothing else could. It probably had to do with the fact that no-one here would know them and send odd glances their way, not even the magical folk.

As the two wandered the market they could see tourists and locals alike mingling. Soon Hermione was able to tell the two apart, the tourists would go around, looking at everything in wonder, buying knick-knacks and marvelling at the warm Christmas weather. The locals, however, would move from stall to stall, chatting and laughing, buying fruit and vegetables as well as the jams and honey available, all marvelling at the coolness of the Christmas weather.

She and Draco sat under the coolness of a large shady tree, eating a melting ice cream and people spotting.

A large group of people went by laughing and Draco said, "Americans!"

A single girl passed with a large backpack, "I say…German."

"Nah, Swedish I think."

Three giggling Asian girls went by and Hermione and Draco grinned, saying together, "Japanese!"

The ice cream dribble was nearing her hand and as Hermione made to lick it she saw Harry and Alice weaving through the crowd.

"Oh look! There's the others!"

"Where?" Draco asked, turning to look and in that second Alice's figure wavered, flicking between her tall blonde figure and a small, petite woman with striking black hair and Alice's eyes.

Hermione blinked, "Did you see that?"

Draco, who was still straining his neck to find them, asked absently, "See what?"

"Alice just – Never mind, trick of the heat, I suppose."

Moments later Harry and Alice joined them, Alice's hand on Harry's arm.

"Hello! Fancy meeting you lot here!" Harry joked, shifting uncomfortably as Alice's grip got stronger.

Hermione stared at Alice, who was busy watching the crowd, "Yeah, fancy that…" she mumbled.

* * *

Alice blearily woke up and looked around. She found herself lying on the floor of a large crystal sphere and as she looked out she saw that her sphere resided inside a spacious, richly decorated and fairly…_fae_…looking room. Concentrating, she tested it for various spells with a wave of her hand, only to be knocked back. The crystal had somehow suppressed her powers.

Alice pondered her situation and nodded uncomprehendingly, "Okay, so last I remember, we were talking to Frank…" she muttered to herself but was interrupted by a figure walking into the room.

"Hello Alice."

"Mother!"


	34. Chapter 34

**Author's Note - Will you believe it? I did it again! I had a whole chapter written out for 33, then just before I published it, I turned around and wrote about Alice getting kidnapped! I seriously don't know what's going to happen in this story any more than you lot! XD**

**Ah well, I hope you guys like it and perhaps...review? Pretty please? I'll be good and post more chapters, I promise!**

* * *

Chapter thirty-four.

The woman snorted, "No you silly girl, I'm not your mother!"

"Aunty Moth?"

"Glad to see we're on the same page now."

Alice frowned, "Yeah, um…just wondering…why exactly am I locked up in here?"

Moth looked at Alice condescendingly, "Because, just like your mother didn't deserve Puck, you don't deserve the Wizard Hero. My darling Cobweb, will be taking your place."

Alice frowned at her disappointedly, "So because my dad married mum instead of you, you want to get your daughter to marry my fiancé?"

"Why are you so upset niece? It was an arranged marriage, you didn't _really_ want to marry anyone, did you?" Moth coaxed soothingly, slowly circling the crystal orb that housed her.

"N-No?"

"I mean,' Moth continued, 'you would always go on about how no one would ever like you,' Alice hung her head, her soft hair floating down, hiding her sad face, 'and you were right! No one would ever want to wake up beside your ugly mug every day! I'm doing you a favour dear… This way, you won't get to see the pain in Harry's eyes every time he looks at you."

Alice looked at Moth through her hair as she walked past again, "But if it's my looks, why would Potter want to be with Cobweb anymore than me?"

Moth laughed cheerily, "Oh my dear! It's not just your face, but your personality too! You're so…annoyingly childish. And all those misdemeanours you get yourself into! Anyway, your face will soon be oblivated from everyone's memory and morphed into Cobweb's, so don't worry about your precious Harry losing more of his eyesight because of your features, because soon, your features will be history..."

Alice's head snapped up, "I never said he was precious to me! I'm just protesting against my loss of freedom!"

Moth laughed cruelly, "You say that Little Halfling, but your eyes tell me other wise. You've always held a soft spot for the Chosen One. Ah, Ah, Ah! Let me finish!' Moth said as Alice was about to interrupt, 'and as for your freedom…Well, I'll give you the chance to watch your 'friends' as they hardly miss you…"

Moth disappeared, laughing and the richly furnished Fae room disappeared, leaving Alice suspended in the crystal ball, surrounded by light. Behind her a screen flickered into life and she slowly turned around. The lights dimmed and she could see Hermione and Draco sitting in the shade of a tree, eating ice cream and laughing, while the Christmas Markets continued around them.

"Hermione… Draco…"

Hermione burst into a smile as she was about to lick her ice cream and pointed straight at her.

"Look! It's the others!"

Draco too, turned and looked straight at her, but squinted and cocked his head. "Where?"

"HERMIONE! DRACO! ITS ME!" Alice screamed, banging her fists against the strong glass.

Hermione gasped, "Did you see that?"

"See what?"

"YES! HERMIONE ITS ME! HELP ME!"

"Alice just – Never mind, trick of the heat, I suppose."

"NO! No! Hermione! Draco…" Alice stared hopelessly at the screen, knowing that although she could hear and see them, it would be fruitless to hope that they could see her too.

She leaned back on her heels and silently watched Harry and Cobweb join the group. Cobweb turned and looked directly at Alice and smirked, tightening her grip on Harry as he talked. Alice only felt a brief flash of hope when she saw Hermione looking suspiciously at the fake her, but this was quickly vanished as the four of them got up and continued to wander the market.

Alice watched as Cobweb got many envious glances from girls wishing their boyfriends were as gorgeous as The-Man-Who-Defeated and Cobweb silently crowed over the fact. Harry himself was looking rather awkward as she clung to his arm and Alice knew that there was no way Harry could ever have loved her or ever would.

Instead of watching that depressing picture (as Cobweb always seemed to know just where Alice was and would frequently sneer in her direction) Alice took to watching Draco and Hermione.

Alice smiled as she watched the two laugh and point at things, both now completely comfortable with the other. Draco had told her of their secret relationship and she had seen how devastated he was when Hermione no longer remembered their times together, although he had tried hard not to. She had also seen the way Hermione's eyes light up with love whenever they had talked of Draco, whether she knew it or not.

Both got envious and longing glances at both their combined beauty and obvious love.

"I'm worried about Alice." Hermione said softly to Draco as they watched her drag a confused Harry to yet another stall.

"She kept going on about all the amazing cheap second-hand bookstalls and the great food we could get here, but all she does is go to the stalls with clothes and jewellery.

Draco sighed, "Okay, I admit defeat… so am I. I've _never_ seen Alice like this."

"Maybe she's trying to impress him…?"

Draco laughed, "Nah, that's not Alice's style! In fact it's more of Cobweb's than anyone else's!"

"Cobweb?"

"Alice's direct cousin. Not a round-about-one like I am. I met her, like, once and she was just like this. Seemed to have struck a fancy with me, I mean, who could resist?" he said jokingly.

Hermione snorted, "So you think Alice got flirting advice from Cobweb?"

Draco smiled, "They're not the best of friends, but they are blood. And both female, so probably."

"Looking forward to Christmas?"

"Oh my gosh! YES! I can't believe I forgot that Christmas Eve is tomorrow!"

* * *

Alice sat in the crystal ball, tears silently tracking their way down her cheeks as she watched her friends easily wave away 'her' behaviour.

Her heart broke as she realised that she would only ever see life through this window. What she found depressing was how much she missed using magic, especially the little trivial things that could keep her entertained for hours.

A bowl of fruit had appeared beside her a while ago, each piece shining, tempting and Oh, so perfect, especially as her stomach rumbled with hunger. But she barely even looked at it.

If you eat anything in the Underground, home of the Faes of the Seelie and UnSeelie courts, you'll never be allowed to leave.

So, Alice held out against hunger in the hopes that maybe, someone would find her.


	35. Chapter 35

**Author's Note - Okay, just so you know, this chapter is used for the starting board for a pure Dramione...(I know coz I'm writing this story! ;P Don't worry, the next chapter is full HGxDM! I'm not lying, I swear! XD) **

**Hopefully you will like this...and maybe review... XP!**

* * *

Chapter thirty-five.

The four of them had spent all day at the markets and so, by the end of it, Alice had announced that it was too late to visit her friends and therefore, the four of them, plus the car would be apparated to where everyone was celebrating Christmas.

They arrived just as the sun was setting and Hermione gasped as, between the gum trees she spotted a small mob of wallabies. She knew something was wrong, because instead of Alice's confused look of 'what-the-hell-Hermione?-They're-just-wallabies-nothing-special!' she started to coo right along with her.

Everyone had gathered on a large, farm and the small house with the corrugated iron roof blended peacefully into the landscape. The dirt driveway disappeared into the distance and Hermione couldn't even make out the back fence. Large cows were in a paddock near them and laying lazily on the ground, gently eating their cud.

Looking around, Hermione now understood why Alice had told Amelia to not 'take-her-spot'. Instead of everyone living cramped inside the house, they had all pitched up small campsites throughout the garden. The grounds were littered with eucalyptus trees, small sparse shrubs and tall yellow grass. Hanging from the trees and lighting up the amazing landscape were small red and yellow Chinese lanterns, perfectly set off with the pink dying rays of the setting sun. A tall eucalyptus tree was covered with motley stands of tinsel as their Christmas tree and small children were playing around it, their high voices ring through the cool air. Suddenly one of them spotted the new arrivals and soon all the kids were running towards them, yelling.

"Uncle Draco! Uncle Draco!"

'Aunty Alice! You're back!"

Draco laughed and crouched down while the faster kids ran straight into his arms, knocking him over. Other kids swarmed over Alice, who laughed and picked them up joyfully after a brief moment of hesitation. It was during that moment that Hermione spotted what she had thought she saw earlier during the day; Alice's form wavered again, to show that same small, black haired woman.

Draco's laugh knocked Hermione out of her train of thought and she looked down at him, smiling. There he was, The Slytherin Prince, sitting in the dirt with a couple of grubby kids on his knee, laughing his head off and hugging them. A little girl, one of the last running up, was shouting with glee, but suddenly tripped over a small rock and crashed onto the ground. She looked up and started to cry in pain as she saw the gash on her leg. Before anyone else could move Draco was by the little girl's side, comforting her, rocking her gently and softly talking.

Hermione watched their interaction with a smile. 'Draco would make a great father one day,' Hermione mused. She blinked, surprised at herself, 'Wait, did I just think that?'

She glanced up again to see the little girl laugh as Draco comforted her and she smiled, not even trying to justify her thoughts in her own mind, Draco did that for her with his actions, 'Yep, a great dad.'

Ron came towards them laughing and holding out his arms. Hermione smiled brilliantly, as did Harry, and both ran towards their other oldest friend.

Greetings over, Ron was recounting everything he had seen about the place.

"-And would you believe it! Those tents aren't magic, they're muggle! Dad's having a field day! They all use it because the kids cause less of a ruckus on Christmas morning, they just get out and annoy all the other kids before getting their parents. Afterwards they expand it and such! This place is great! Mum and Alice's sister are in the kitchen now, cooking up a storm for Christmas dinner! Everyone else is outside, cooking dinner on the Dardieque-? Was it? Right, Barbeque and having drinks and mingling…Come on!"

Hermione and Harry took off after Ron, laughing, towards the house and around the side, leaving Draco and Alice to handle all the little terrors that had accosted them.

A large party of people were there, holding drinks and chatting and Ron lead the two up to where a smiling, balding man was manning the barbeque.

"Hey Roy! This is Hermione and Harry!"

"Ah! Draco and Alice's fiancés! Welcome! Help yourself to the barbie when you get hungry!"

"Thanks sir!" Harry said politely and Roy laughed.

"Just go and enjoy yourself, everyone'll make you feel welcome! And if they don't, its only coz your Pommies!" he roared with laughter and the people near him grinned as they turned to look.

Ron leaned over their shoulders to whisper in their ears, "Apparently Australians like to joke about where you come from. I heard something about a New Zealander and sheep before…"

"Thanks Ron."

Hermione and Harry soon separated as they walked through the crowd, being pulled into various conversations on so many different topics. Soon Alice appeared and attached herself to Harry again. Hermione frowned, in all the months that she had known the girl, never had she been so blatant and forward as this. Draco popped up beside her and looked at where she was watching, "Yeah, I think something is very different…"

Hermione turned to him, "What now?"

He grinned and wrapped his arms around her waist, "Now you meet the rellies."

* * *

Alice sat on the floor of the crystal cross-legged. Her wings had popped out of her back now that her magic no longer suppressed them. Having Puck from 'A Midsummer's Night Dream' fame as your father came with shortcomings, such as the wings of a faerie that she had to keep hidden and being called a Little Halfling by her father's side, (Halfling being half witch, half fae).

Although… she was considered a Pureblood by Magical Society standards; as the faes were the original 'witches and wizards'. However there were perks too, such as awesome morphing skills, the ability to fly without brooms and her family being great at throwing parties.

Such as right now. Alice pricked up her now pointed ears (the glamour charms now gone) as she heard the sounds of music and knew her fae family were partying hard. Standing up easily, Alice began running her hands over the crystal, trying to find imperfections and a weak spot. She knew that her cousin wasn't very good at holding glamour charms and her Aunty was rubbish at these containment spells, even though it looked impossible to break. Therefore, she knew her cousin would be called out for her faltering attempts soon and that she would be able to break free.

At least, that was what she kept telling herself.

* * *

The sounds of the revels were even louder as Alice started to rock the huge crystal, humming a jaunty tune. She'd discovered a tiny crack that ran the entire circumference and was currently trying to break it open. The orb rocked once more before it swung open from underneath her. Alice barely had time to scream before she fell and the broken crystal shards reassembled themselves, piercing her at the base of her wings. She hung limply, her wings firmly grasped within the ball as the rest of her dangled outside. Her magic was slowly being drained away as her wings were captured.

"Oh, shit." She whispered.

Her aunt's maniacal laugh echoed around the stark white room and over the laughs and music of the fae party, "Oh honey, you didn't think it'd be this easy, did you?"

Alice was berating herself for being such a fool as she slowly lost consciousness, the pain emanating from the base of her wings causing the blackness to swiftly overtake her vision.


	36. Chapter 36

**Author's Note - Hehehe! I have written as promised! I hope you like it! Please tell me if somethings not right, spelling, grammar etc.**

* * *

Chapter thirty-six.

Hermione and Draco were facing off, both tipsy as one challenged the other to a battle of 'Magnificent Magic'. Hardly anyone noticed when they started, as they were all tipsy and having a great time; Luna and Blaise were in a corner, quietly talking and giggling, Ron was over at the barbeque with Roy, chatting and laughing, Padma had already retired for the night, assisted away by Molly and Varuni, having refused all alcohol because of her tired pregnant form. Arthur was having the time of his life talking to various amused witches and wizards on the wonders of Muggle technology and how they had incorporated it within their lives. He was over the moon when he chatted with the few Muggles that were there as well.

All the children had been sent to their beds at ten, but they had crept out and met altogether under a small copse of trees. They had then lit a small fire out of the line of sight of all the adults and were gathered around it, lying on their backs and star gazing as they quietly chatted excitedly.

Fred and George were enthusiastically explaining their merchandise to a couple of Draco's cousins from Canada who were interestedly examining the various products and one of them (a business man) was talking to Polly about helping them expand into the Canadian market.

"-Okay, since you're the snake! I'll let you go first!" Hermione snarled slightly lopsidedly.

"And proud of it! What happened to your 'lion' courage?"

"A lion's courage comes with nobility! Which means I'll _allow_ you to first!"

"Oh, you'll _allow_ me to? I knew it! There's nothing to that Gryffindor bravery except buff pretence and pride!"

"I know what you're trying to do! We Gryffindor's aren't _stupid,_ I know when you're trying to corner me into going first! You suggested it, therefore you go first!" Hermione cried, quickly sobering up.

Suddenly, Draco whipped his wand out and a huge firework Dragon came rushing out, roaring at Hermione without warning as she ducked for cover. The Dragon soared up into the sky, where it exploded into variously coloured fireworks.

People turned and 'Ohhed' and 'Ahhed' at the firework display.

Draco smirked, "That spell is courtesy of the Weasley twins."

Faintly, they could hear the two roaring with laughter over the excited crowd.

Hermione narrowed her eyes and got into a fighting stance, "Oh, it's on."

A cry of 'Tanto Avis' and a flock of large canaries formed and as soon as Hermione (with a smirk) chanted 'Oppugno' they started to chase Draco around the lawn briefly, to the laughter of everyone who witnessed the normally calm and elegant man running around like a chook with its head cut off.

When the abnormally large canaries had finally disappeared it was responded to with a harsh 'Deprimo', sending Hermione flying through the air on the back of a whirlwind.

Draco laughed heartily until he saw her coming back with a vengeance.

Nearing dawn, Draco and Hermione had managed to chase each other across the entire property; casting spells on each other and anything else, showing off.

They soon collapsed, exhausted, on the ground, lying on top of each other as the first light of the sun began to touch the horizon, slowly lighting up the landscape.

"Hmm…It's Christmas Eve…" Hermione mumbled and Draco nodded sleepily.

"Yeah…" he gently kissed the top of her head and the two drifted off to sleep.

When Hermione woke up, it was to the sun beating down heavily and the sounds of cicadas and kookaburras laughing. Draco was curled up beside her and the sun was shining high in the sky. Luckily, she hadn't drunk enough alcohol to have a hang-over, (she was saving that for the huge Christmas Eve Bash that she'd been told was legendary).

The house was a fair way off, several paddocks and grazing cows in between. She could just see the children playing in the sprinkler as the drops danced in the air and hear their ringing laughter while she smiled softly. She wondered how it would feel to have a little daughter with sparkling brown eyes and long blonde hair…

Draco stirred, breaking Hermione from her barely conscious thoughts. He rolled over and took her with him, making her squeal along the way.

"Draco!"

He chuckled, trying to hide his face in the ground away from the sun, "Yeah love?" Hermione stalled briefly at the sudden endearment, but smiled shyly.

"You're lying on top of me."

"…So? I'm comfortable…Don't make me move!" He whined.

"Come on, we've got to get back to the house before the others start searching for us."

"They won't search for us, plenty of couples'll be missing, due to reason that don't need to be mentioned…"

"Draco! We can lay in tomorrow or Boxing Day! But right now, lets go back!"

Draco sat up suddenly, smirking salaciously, "Can you promise that?"

Hermione looked around wildly, her hair and clothes covered in the grass they had laid in, "What? Promise what?"

Draco leaned over, propped up on his side and whispered in her ear as she blushed, "That we'll sleep in tomorrow or sometime soon, just you…and me…"

Hermione stood up, tying to conceal her blush as he smirked up at her.

"Yes, fine, on my Gryffindor honour. Now, are we going? Amy told me that breakfast goes quick."

Draco shot up, "Damn! Breakfast!" he grabbed her hand and the two took off, laughing and trying to brush the grass off their clothes simultaneously.


	37. Chapter 37

**Author's Note - YAY! The next State of Origin game is gonna be good! GO MAROONS!**

**Oh, yeah... And I hope you like what else I've added... Hopefully another twist... and some more interest? Tell me if you like it or not! XD**

* * *

Chapter thirty-seven.

"…**The chosen couple are also required to share a bed and cannot live separately for more than one week a month without applying for leave, if they need to be apart for more than the allotted time for things such as work, they must first file a form for permission for the required time, which will then be checked with the appropriate employers. During the engagement period, however, the couples are allowed to not share a bed, but MUST live in the same house. Whilst one is with their chosen spouse, engagement included, cheating is not allowed. Needless to say the Ministry will know if any of these rules are broken…"**

* * *

Hermione and other ladies from England, New Zealand, Australia, China, India, (wherever!) were all laying on various Muggle floating devices in the middle of a huge dam on the property. As the floaties were the property of the kids, the small pictures of fairies and dragons roamed the surface, as did many other creatures that play fought or just slept. Hermione was chatting away and getting to know the others as the boys played footy with the kids. 'Knoking' had already been played, but when the 'Wings' (snitch) had been caught they had all still felt like kicking something around. Molly and Amy, the resident cooks, were currently still cooking up a storm and grilling a sheepish Alice.

In other parts of the dam and on different parts of the property, the huge extended family that had come from all parts of the world were all catching up with each other and wrapping up presents.

"Oh, did you know? Remus and Tonks are coming today with Teddy!" Luna said, her feet and long white hair trailing in the water as the sun beat down. The 'cool snap' the Queenslanders had experienced had all but disappeared.

"Oh, that's wonderful Luna!" Hermione exclaimed, her eyes closed and hair also trailing as she lay splayed across the floating device.

"Hey…do you guys know where Charlie and Charlotte are?" Varuni asked, also… Okay, they were all lying on their backs with not much out of the cool water. The day was too hot to do much else! Everyone was sweating just floating there!

"Uh…I think an Uncle Bill went to show them a nearby den of a Rainbow Serpent. But it's supposedly been abandoned because so many people live nearby."

"Lots of people? There's barely enough for it to be considered a town!" Polly exclaimed.

"Well' Hermione said lazily, 'The entire population of Australia is roughly equivalent to the outer ring of London and the inner is nearly the same as New Zealand's population…So once again, their idea of 'lots of people' isn't exactly the same as ours…"

The other girls giggled at this, but shrieked as cold droplets littered their hot skin as a whole new horde of people came splashing in.

Everyone that had just been playing footy came rushing in, the kids shrieking and throwing themselves onto the unsuspecting girls as the boys followed, laughing. Hermione gasped as she felt a ball hit her in the stomach and push her into the water. She came up spluttering and immediately zoomed in on a grinning Draco.

"Opps." He smirked.

"Opps!' Hermione shrieked, 'I'll give you 'Opps!'"

She wadded back onto shore, dodging giggling kids and others who were mucking about. Draco just laughed until he saw her mad expression.

'Merlin, she looks hot…and gorgeous and beautiful…' he thought wistfully as he watched her lean, bikini clad body moving swiftly through the throng of people. Then he remembered _why_ she was moving swiftly.

"Oh shit." He exclaimed and took off running as a murderous Hermione followed.

One thing Draco had learned, was that when a witch was mad, leave magic out of it and you might survive. Might.

* * *

The chase was soon reduced to a hobble, as the two, who had tried to dash for the house, realised why Alice was complaining about losing the toughness of her feet. They had had to spring off huge red boulders that were emanating the heat of the sun, then tread on sharp sticks hiding in the long, dry grass and also the small sharp stones that made up the rocky surface.

"Ah! Oh! OW!" Hermione winced as she tried to catch up to Draco, who was having as much trouble as she was. He managed to make it to the steps leading up to the veranda and leaped up them in gratification, before turning around and poking his tongue out. He laughed then paled as he saw Hermione scowl before he turned around swiftly and ran to the front door. Hermione ignored the pain and quickly skittered over the pebbly surface to the house.

She made it onto the cool wood of the floor inside the house and ran down a short corridor from where she heard the soft footsteps of Draco trying to hide. She ignored the lively chatter of the portraits who were discussing a rugby series the Australians had; called 'The State of Origin' a three match season between Queensland and New South Wales. It got the competitive Aussies so riled up and excited that even the magical folk here talked about it.

There was a simple reason why Hermione hadn't been throwing hexes around and that was for the fact that she found Muggle tactics much more satisfying.

She reached the end of the small, brightly lit wooden corridor where it branched into a couple of rooms. She narrowed her eyes and turned into the room on the left, intent on doing…something… to Draco. She wasn't sure yet what, possibly a choice charm? Maybe a huge tickle fight? All she knew was that Draco was going to pay! Although the cool water had felt nice…

No! Must make Draco pay!

The room was dark, it was obviously filled with little knick-knacks and loads of books filled the walls, it must've been someone's old bedroom but was now a spare. Hermione walked over to the window and pulled open the blinds, filling the room with light. Nothing. Draco was obviously in another room.

Hermione turned to walk out but a small off-colour white book with a delicate sketching of a sleeping dragon done in black ink and animated by magic.

Curious, Hermione picked it up and peeked inside, but not before removing the impressive locking enchantment on it and light 'curse' on it to prevent anyone for reading. It was a young girl's diary; the diary of the last owner of the room, but she wasn't the Transfiguration teacher of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry for nothing.

She flipped through the pages and noticed something highlighted and outlined several times on one of the pages.

_**TRY THIS SPELL ON DRACO NEXT CHRISTMAS…IT'LL BE HILARIOUS!**_

_**ピンクのバニースーツの変換**_

_**Hehe … Lui facia a' molto divertante!**_

Hermione laughed, 'This seems like something Alice would do!' she thought to herself. Suddenly Alice appeared at the door, "Hermione? What are you doing?"

Hermione looked at the petite woman with long dark hair and deep blue eyes and smiled, "Just looking for Draco, Al."

"Oh, I thought I saw him in the old Master bedroom. Have you seen Harry today?"

Hermione raised an eyebrow and sighed, it was Harry this and Harry that. She wished that she would go back to the smiling, bouncing child-like Alice, with an affinity for breaking down barriers (either cultural or emotional…or physical…Yep, that portrait door definitely knows Alice can break down physical barriers) and would write down funny spells in her diary instead of personal thoughts, instead of this lime-light, clothes and shopping…woman.

Hermione blinked and shook her head, 'Wait a minute… When has Alice been child-like or bouncy? She's always been this way… Ah well, must be the heat…' she thought.

"No, sorry Alice."

"That's okay, I've got to go out to town today, and I have to drive. Stupid Muggles! It'll take a couple of hours to get in, so I'll be back late." And with that she disappeared.

Hermione nodded absently and frowned to herself, wondering where Alice's manners were. It was usually polite to ask if someone wanted something while they were out and Alice always did… didn't she…?

On second thoughts, Hermione conceded that no, no, this was regular Alice behaviour.

She flipped to the back page where it was written in the same hand that had drawn the sleeping Dragon, "Property of Alice Fletcher. That means NO reading Draco!" Underneath it was a rough sketch of a young girl, painted with watercolours, the spaces were not filled in neatly, but off centre, giving it an authentic and naturally happy feel. The girl had the same coloured eyes and hair; a light, golden blonde and a familiar smile…

Hermione shook her head and went to put the book down when a dancing light caught her eye. Moving closer she realised a small globe, not unlike some Muggle snow globes she had somewhere, was gently turning and spinning in mid air, suspended above the shelf and reflecting the light.

Underneath was a rather odd and ancient looking symbol of a - there was a small noise from behind and Hermione swung around, her wand instantly materialising in her hand and pointed at the door. She sighed and lowered her wand as she realised nothing was there.

Briefly looking around guiltily, Hermione crept forward slowly, curiosity overwhelming. Inside this magical snow globe was a small fairy-like creature, its bright blue wings trapped within another crystal, keeping it dry as the body drifted in a sort of magical fog that supported it like water. Hermione watched, fascinated as its long golden hair drifted around its ethereal face and its cute pointed ears before flowing over the long white dressing gown it wore, which waved in the unseen and unfelt breeze.

The bright blue wings fluttered and Hermione reflexively jumped back in shock, clutching her chest, before chuckling in embarrassment and alarm as she realised it just must be another part of the enchantment on the snow globe for young magical kids.

The hair floated past the closed eyes of the floating fairy and its limbs moved softly with the current that swept through the magical crystal, almost reaching out for her.

Hermione laughed uncomfortably, before taking note of the odd symbol and committing it to memory so she could later research it and find out its meaning.

She then turned around and left the room, turning right so she could go up the stairs and to the old Master bedroom, hoping to teach Draco a lesson about getting other people wet when they were perfectly happy talking to friends.

Behind her, the ethereal fairy continued to float about, its beautiful wings slightly fluttering every now and then.


	38. Chapter 38

**Author's Note - Okay, so this chapter is mainly a filler and to give people some more background information on totally irrelevant things! XP**

**I know how annoying it is when chapter's aren't updated regularly (don't we all!), so hopefully this is enough...**

**Tell me if you notice any inconsistencies or mistakes or if it's annoying, which hopefully it won't be! **

**I _have_ changed what I originally put on, slightly, because I realised I'd put in things that just wouldn't work with what I wanted to do... So...here it is, slightly updated!**

**By the way! Look! I have over 100 reviews! XD Thank you so much to everyone who reviewed! =)**

* * *

Chapter thirty-eight.

_Thirty years ago..._

_Once again, the Australians had set up a huge barbeque and were currently grilling something as the sun set. The barbeque was in the long shade of the wooden, tin-roofed house and beside a tall gum tree, filled with beady-eyed Kookaburras who were just waiting for a chance to swoop down and snag a sausage or a piece of meat._

_A small group of teenage girls lounged in a circle, talking and laughing under the gum tree while the children around them shrieked and giggled as they chased each other. A small Chinese toddler sleepily wandered away from the game and sat on the lap of one of the older teenagers there, who just wrapped her arms around the little girl and continued on chatting with her friends._

_In another part of the garden, a group of teenage boys were lounging up against the wall of the house, but one turned when he saw the small girl head over to the girls. The teenage boy laughed at a couple of English mates, Sirius and Remus, whom were being interrogated by a small group of his relatives on how to map and track people in the Academy before__ he said goodbye and approached the small circle of girls. _

_He smiled softly as he watched the golden blonde teenager lean down to whisper in the ear of the sleepy girl, who nodded. The tall handsome Chinese boy shook his messy black hair out of his eyes before crouching down and leaning over the shoulder of the golden blonde to greet and stroke the head of the small girl, who smiled sleepily up at him. The girl looked up in surprise, before grinning welcomingly. One girl, a beautiful Fillipino smiled triumphantly at the others when he went to sit down near her, but glared at the girl on his other side; the shy golden blonde who was currently cradling his little sister and whom he had resolutely sat beside._

_The sun's final rays danced around them as he sat beside her under the shadows, the conversation continued lowly around them as they talked softly between themselves, occasionally glancing down to check on the sleeping girl._

_The golden haired girl's friends continued to chat and every once in a while would glance at the Chinese boy with longing. The blonde girl would smile at him beautifully and naively as they chatted, her soft blush just passing as a 'it's a bit hot, isn't it? blush' and hiding the real reason of it being a 'secret crush blush'. Sometimes he would stall mid sentence as if he'd forgotten something and just stare into her eyes, a smile playing on his lips, causing her to smile in confusion and raise her brows questioningly making him snap out of it embarrassedly and compose his thoughts. After this had happened thrice, the girl watched him curiously, her head cocked as she wondered why he, the most sought after boy in the Academy, would talk to her but then trail off mid sentence, surely she wasn't that uninteresting...right? Maybe he fancied one of her mates and kept thinking of her? Yeah, it was probably Christine; she was so beautiful with her exotic Philippine skin… He'd paused again and was looking into her eyes with his dark ones. She smiled and gestured for him to continue, he'd probably thought she hadn't been listening._

_The sun lowered even further, bringing coolness to the evening that everyone had been craving all day. The girl shivered in the light breeze and the handsome boy moved behind her so that he and his warmth now surrounded the girl he was gently hugging. His head rested on one of her shoulders as she lent back onto his chest, his hands resting on the back of his little sister, who was now asleep on the girl's bosom. Oh, so that was why he was so close now…he wanted to make sure his little sister was safe and sound and happy in her arms… But he feels so nice…_

_The handsome Chinese boy blushed as he wrapped his arms around one of the smartest, kindest, sweetest girls he had ever met and couldn't help but smell her soft hair, scented with an intoxicating fruity shampoo. This girl – woman - was cuddling and comforting a sleepy little girl as if she had known her her whole life, but whom she had actually only met a while ago and he knew he couldn't let her go. He'd had a huge crush on her since Third Year and they had just graduated a month ago, but she had never shown any interest in him or anyone. He'd been ecstatic when he'd learned they would both be going to the prestigious New Zealand University of the Magical Arts to learn about curse revealing and removal, a highly sought after and very hard degree to get._

_The New Zealand University was the only Magical University in this part of the world admittedly, but they only took the best of the best and were linked directly to the Australian Academy of Magic. Most of the Academy graduates would be going to the Australian College to learn basic trade or would be working in Wizarding Sydney, but the best from the Australian, South African and Indonesian Schools went there._

_And only two students were chosen for the specific training of an international curse breaker, as it was so difficult and required knowledge of all the different magic's used around the world. Something only the Academy supplied within its regular curriculum, making it the school with the highest rate of students trained to be curse breakers._

_Although many other countries had curse breakers, they were only trained for a specific location as the style and type of magic used varied across the world._

_In the Americas, they were all trained in Latin Spell and Wand work and Native American rituals as their population was to large to include the original magic of each person, over Europe and the British Isles they were also trained in Latin Spells and Wands, this being their origins anyway._

_Over Asia they were trained in traditional Oriental methods, with Latin Wand work being employed infrequently and often not at all. Throughout Africa they were trained as their forefathers were all trained in each tribe, and if one with magic came up after several generations of nothing, they were sent to a tribe that had a Shaman._

_Australia and the Pacific Isles were unique in the fact that as the population was small, they had to get their students from a wider spread of locations, meaning each student not only had to learn the Academy's curriculum of Latin magic, but were duty bound to also learn their original magic from the Islands or New Zealand, something the Academy were able to assist with. Also included, each student had to respect the magic of the Aboriginals and learn it, in retribution of the Stolen Generation._

_The handsome boy tightened his grip on the sweet girl as he saw the Filippino girl glare in her direction, hoping to also keep her there longer._

* * *

Scattered over the large lawn, couples stayed together, arms around each other's waists as they talked and laughed, colourful lanterns starting to appear and glow in the fading light. An old gramophone was playing old tunes as the Christmas Eve party started, beers were being handed out, as well as wine. A large table with a white tablecloth over it was filled with various nibblies, Muggle and Wizard food alike.

Harry watched as everyone mingled, the love they had all found because of the Marriage Law was tangible and he wished with all his heart that he felt the same about Alice. When he had first met her, he was sure it was love, and as they worked and lived together over the last few months, he was sure that love had grown. But then they'd gone here for Christmas and…that love had just disappeared. Harry now felt himself lovesick for a girl who was at the same time there, but so far out of reach. He missed seeing her eyes light up when they got into a heated debate, her enthusiasm for everything she did and the naivety with which she did it and her amazing intelligence that could rival Hermione's if she so wished it. Now it felt like Alice was an annoying fan-girl who'd just landed her idol and was now showing him off to the world. Speak of the devil…

Alice ran up to Harry and enthusiastically grabbed his hand before dragging him into the fray…so as to show him off to everyone.

* * *

Hermione wandered down the small corridor again, this time veering down another corridor, than another. Some how, in this small house, they had managed to create maze. 'Ron would be very interested in the blue print designs and enchantments,' Hermione mused, 'he would probably love to try and recreate them back in Britain, they would, quite honestly, be a roaring success…'

She finally found a portrait of a large gathering of people on the beach, some playing in the waves, others surrounding the barbeque, laughing. Hermione put her hands on her hips, "What is it with Australians and barbeques?" she asked exasperated.

The people in the portrait heard her and laughed, "Mate,' said the one who was carefully cooking the food, 'in Australia there is a belief that no matter the event, be it the arrival of the Queen or a birthday party, it's not complete without a good ol' sausage sizzle!"

Hermione grinned and raised an eyebrow, "Okay, if you say so."

"Yeah, you know you can go in now, right?"

"…What, there's no password?"

"…It's a kitchen, who needs a password? Wait… did you have a password ready?" he asked eagerly.

Hermione blushed, "Ah…no."

A girl floating on some large waves heading into shore laughed, "Fair 'nough, go on in!"

The door creaked open and Hermione stepped through into the colourful kitchen. Shelves were piled high up to a ceiling that should've been closer to the ground and large windows opened out onto the property, letting in a warm breeze. Outside tomato plants climbed up the wall and their sweet smell blew into the kitchen. A couple of the kids, not young enough to be playing tiggy but not old enough to be chatting with the teenagers were inside, helping Amy and Molly cook some caramel tarts, lamingtons and pavlovas, which were flying this way and that, placing themselves on higher shelves to make room for all the other food coming and going.

Amy looked up, saw Hermione and smiled hugely, "Hermione! Have you come to help us?"

Hermione laughed, "I would, except you look like you've got enough helpers!" she gestured to the nine to thirteen year olds all roaming the kitchen.

Amy laughed, "True, so what do you need?"

Hermione grabbed a newly frosted lamington and sat on one of the benches.

"Well – I was just wondering if there was a library anywhere?"

"Yep, just go up the stairs and directly left there is a wall, just give it a coupl'a kicks and it'll let you in."

Hermione raised her eyebrows and took a bite of the lamington, "All right then, I'll take your word for it."

She left the kitchen, waving good-bye to a distracted Amy and Molly, who was trying to coax an eight year old to not eat the soap shaped like a chocolate bar.

Hermione followed Amy's instructions and, feeling a bit silly, kicked the wall until it groaned open. Inside, rather like the kitchen, it defied the law of physics and the walls soared high, higher than what the house looked like on the outside. There was floor to ceiling shelves as well as a huge tinted window that covered an entire wall and looked out over the party. Books floated overhead as they were resorted and put away. Hermione frowned as she realised that someone else was there and looked around. She started when she noticed a small glowing figure with long awkward limbs sitting on a table, flipping through the pages of books that flew down to it and sending the books back to their original places after it was done. Every now and then it would grab something within the pages of the book and roughly eat it. Hermione watched, fascinated for a bit until a small voice coughed beside her. Hermione wheeled around, her wand in her hand and pointed it right into the face of an amused house elf.

"Can I do anything for you, miss?" he asked politely and surprisingly clearly and Hermione blushed before putting her wand away.

"Sorry,' she apologised, 'I just came to get something to read and…I was wondering…What…is that? And what is he-or she- doing?" She asked awkwardly.

The house elf smiled, "That's a Min Min faerie and he's eating bookworms."

Hermione blanched, years of being called a bookworm floating through her head, "Bookworms?"

"Yeah, we just got an infestation so Roy went out and caught a Min Min to fix it."

Hermione looked at him curiously, "Don't you mean Master Roy? Doesn't he own you?"

The house elf laughed, "Nah, I'm Kiel, I'm different from your British House Elves, I'm a Hobgoblin."

Hermione looked amazed, "Hobgoblin?" Now that she looked, she could see the differences, he was taller and stronger and actually wore clothes.

Kiel nodded and waved his hand and several books came flying towards him, before stacking themselves carefully and hovering in front of Hermione. He indicated them, "Those books are 'The Seelie and UnSeelie Court through the Ages', 'Symbols and Meanings of the Faes' and 'Australia, a Magical History'" Kiel looked at Hermione and winked, "I thought you might be interested in them." He said as he saw the look of wonder and excitement on Hermione's face.

"It's like Christmas!" She exclaimed joyfully and Kiel frowned in mocking confusion, a smile playing on his craggily face.

"That's because it is."


	39. Chapter 39

**Author's Note - Hopefully this clears up some things...or makes it even more confusing...Eh, either way, I know things that you don't! *Silly happy dance* I hope everyone likes it! XD**

* * *

Chapter thirty-nine.

It was finally dark out and between the Gum trees were strung lanterns that changed colours and attracted lots of bugs, like the Rocking-Horse fly that caused great annoyance amongst the adults, but glee with the children.

Remus groaned as a group of children ran about squealing with Teddy, trying to catch a shrieking Dragon fly that kept spitting sparkling fire to deter them.

"How can we STOP this racket?"

Roy shook his head, "Every year, day in and day out at Christmas time! I don't think it'll change any time soon."

Remus snorted, "Hey, remember when we were the ones running about, causing migraines? Good times."

"Better yet, remember how many times we were the ones doing that?" Roy sniggered, pointing out a group of teenagers who were oh, so, subtly, levitating all the grog on the table to their small dark corner.

Hermione came out of the house, several books floating behind her, opened at different places as she intently read a page or so, before she flicked her wrist and make another book would soar down in front of her for intensive studying. She stepped out of the porch light and into the garden, under the almost bright blue of the night sky that was littered with stars and the small coloured Chinese lanterns that lit up the garden.

Roy chuckled as Hermione looked up, flashed a brief smile before returning to her books, deep in thought as she joined the two men and Roy returned to the previous occupation of their conversation.

"Well, if anyone knows, its Alice! She always knows how to calm down these kids, I reckon it has to be from working in the RAAF, Merlin knows where else she could've gotten it fro – Wait…' Hermione glanced up at the sudden change of tone and furrowed her brow, 'No, I'm sorry, Alice can't do that…I don't think anyone would know how to calm these kids, much less Alice!" Roy continued cheerfully.

Hermione frowned at him wonderingly, flicked a wrist and a completely different book floated down in front of her. She grabbed it and began to flick through the pages manually, muttering to herself.

Remus frowned at her sudden behaviour, "Hermione? Hello, Earth to 'Mione? …? I'm a dancing pink elephant wearing a yellow tutu and I have issues with alcohol and lamingtons, can you help me?" he asked, teasingly.

"Hmmm? That's nice Remus, I hope you have fun…" She said absent-mindedly as she wandered back into the house, still reading and muttering.

Roy and Remus stared at her in shock and Tonks came up, smiling cheerfully, "'ello boys, Whadid I miss?"

Hermione wandered back into the house and shrieked when she felt a pair of hands enclose around her, the books falling to the ground in her sudden distress and lapse of concentration.

"'Mione, relax, its just me!" Harry chuckled.

"Harry! What did you do that for?" she scolded, levitating all the books up again.

He shrugged cheekily, "Do you want the long answer or the short answer?"

Hermione frowned, wary, "Uh…the short I guess…"

He grinned, "Whim."

"What was the long answer?"

"It was a whim."

"Oh, ha ha Harry. Stop watching Black Adder!"

"But you like it too!"

"Not when you go about quoting it all the time!"

"You like it when Alice quotes it, in her funny New Zealand – slash - Australian accent – Wait,' Harry frowned and his eyes focused and unfocused briefly, '- My bad, Alice has an Irish accent and hates Black Adder…'Mione what are you doing?"

"Hmmm…" Hermione had suddenly grabbed Harry's head and was busy inspecting his eyes. She frowned intently, whipped out her wand and prodded the boy interestedly in the face, ignoring him when he cringed at the sight of it, as if he was expecting a curse to come flying out at him. Merlin knows it's happened plenty of times before.

She muttered a small charm and Harry looked around startled when he started to glow purple. Hermione, for lack of a better word, whooped with glee.

"Aha! I thought so! Now, to prove it…" she turned around, still muttering like a nutter and with several books floating around her which she referenced at different times, she completed the image. Harry looked around, still vaguely confused, "Uh…Hermione?"

"Sorry Harry, gotta go! Gotta research and such!" she waved at him over her should, barely noticing him.

"But it's Christmas Eve - "

"Oh, and by the way, you'll be purple for a couple of hours!" Hermione called out, interrupting him and dashing up the stairs while Harry gaped at her.

"A couple of hours…? Hermione!"

* * *

Ron smiled contentedly at Padma, who was practically glowing as she rubbed her stomach.

A couple of kids ran by, holding sparklers high over their heads (thanks to the Weasley twins) and were singing, very loudly, a very well known tune…

"Weasley is our King! Weasley is our King! He doesn't let the Quaffle in - "

"Wait a minute, I thought he did?"

"No, I got told he didn't."  
"Uncle Draco said he did."

"What is a Quaffle?"

"I dunno, I think it's like a Russo Ball for Knoking."

"Ohh…"

The kids started up again, skipping away, their argument forgotten for the time being. "Weasley is our King! Weasley is our King! - "

"We still have to think of names." Padma whispered, the secluded corner requiring the quiet as she grinned at a previously disgruntled Ron who perked up. Her breathing was beginning to feel a bit laboured.

"Hmmm… How 'bout we call it Ron Jr?" he asked teasingly.

Padma raised an eyebrow, "And if it's a girl?"

"Still Ron Jr."

She whacked his arm as he chortled, but then groaned.

"Paddy, love, what's wrong?" He asked, concerned as he held her bent over figure.

"Ugh…Ron…The baby…"

"What about it? Is it coming?"

"Ugh…' Padma groaned again in pain, 'I – I don't – don't think so…Get Alice!"

"Alice?"

"SHE'S A DAMNED HEALER!" She shouted, distraught.

"Uh, right!" Ron said panicking as he jumped up. Someone turned around at the sound of the groans.

"Mate what's going on?"

"Something's wrong with the baby!' he panicked, 'Where's Alice?"

"I don't know, I think she had to go get something."

Within minutes, two other women who had already been through pregnancy before were calming her down, while everyone else had voluntarily moved away into a small cluster in the garden so as to get out of the way. Neville, Draco and one of the many Australians there had levitated and formed a large crash mat underneath Padma before carefully getting her inside, where she could be properly attended to.

Molly came rushing out of the kitchen, all the kids quickly getting out of the way before joining everyone else outside.

"Padma dear, are you alright?"

"Does it look like I'm alright? Where's Alice?" she groaned and whimpered in pain.

Molly bit her lip, "I'm sure there's another Healer - "

"There isn't!' Padma gasped out, 'Alice told me before we came that she was the only one that would be able to help with a magical pregnancy and that she'd look out for me, just in case, now WHERE IS SHE?"

"Can – Can we get someone from home?" Ron asked nervously.

The bloke that had helped Padma poked his head in from behind the door and shook his head, "We've all got our International Apperation Licences, but it'll take ages for us to get clearance."

Hermione rushed in, her books forgotten, "Padma!"

"Hermione! Get – Get Alice for me!"

Hermione's eyes filled with tears, 'Oh, Padma…I can't."

Draco stoically came up behind her and put his arms around her comfortingly.

"Wh-What?" Padma gasped out, her face sticky with sweat and she clearly was in pain.

"Al – Alice isn't Alice… She's a Changeling."

"What has that got to do with anything?" Ron blew angrily.

"It means Alice isn't Alice! A Fae has taken her place, slowly wiping away our true memories of her to replace them with her characteristics! One of the things that she hasn't changed yet is her Magical Signature, which was how I was able to finally tell!"

Padma groaned in pain again.

"All right, everyone out, NOW!" Bellowed Molly, shooing Neville, Ron and Draco out.

"What about - "

"They're females and know what to do."

"But - "

The door slammed in Ron's face.

"Her – Hermione, what are we going to do?" Padma panted.

Hermione paced the floor, "I have to find where Alice really is. The book says she has to be in a containment spell that has the Fae crest on it…" Hermione stopped suddenly, causing the other to look at her in alarm.

"What is it?"

"Why didn't I see it before?" Hermione cried.

"See what?" asked Nelly, who was wiping the sweat off Padma's brow with a cold cloth.

"The Marriage Law requires that the couple have to be in the presence of each other with only a week or so to be separate legally and as the Fae doesn't have Alice's Magical Signature yet, she has to keep her in the containment spell, HERE! Otherwise the Ministry would investigate because Alice isn't there, but it looks like she is and yadi yadi ya!"

Padma groaned her eyes shut against the light, "So where is she?"

"Oh, I don't know, she could be in any of the portraits or anywhere on the grounds!' Hermione moaned in frustration, 'If only I could remember what she looks like!"

"Well hurry! We don't have all night!" Molly scolded.

Hermione stopped and stared at her, "That's brilliant."

"What is?"

At that moment, time stopped. Literally.


	40. Chapter 40

**Author's Note - Okay, Umm... Wow! I'm on Chapter forty. Never thought I'd get this far... Or that this story would go on for so long! It was much simpler in my head... ^-^ **

**Okay, so this part of the story is supposed to explain some relationships a bit more and such while I...procrastinate... **

* * *

Chapter forty.

_Hermione wandered the hallowed halls of Hogwarts during her rounds as Gryffindor Prefect. Ron had begged off momentarily to go to the loo, but she knew that he was meeting up with Lavender Brown for a quick snogging session. __She was currently in a deserted part of Hogwarts that hardly anyone went near, apart from a couple of lover's trysts every now and then._

_As she walked past the boy's toilets, she heard someone groaning. Hermione rolled her eyes, 'Why is everyone so horny right now?'_

_Her wand held up in front of her, casting a soft glow on everything, showed her the way to the door of the toilets. She knocked on it swiftly but the person or people inside ignored it, continuing on groaning and gasping._

"_All right, come on out and go to your dorms right now before I dock points!"_

_The groaning didn't stop, but now Hermione heard the distinct sound of someone sobbing. Without hesitating, Hermione barged through the doors, intent on getting to the person in pain. It was probably one of the Third year girls who had just gotten their first period and had rushed to the first toilets available._

_What she found was defiantly not a third year._

* * *

_The University's Graduation Masquerade Costume Ball was in full swing and a beautiful blonde girl in a long white dress was looking for her date. The two had agreed to meet once the ball had well and truly started but he was late. Just then a tall, handsome boy of Chinese heredity walked past, several girls drooling in his wake. He'd worn a simple black suit and tie, with a dark silver mask, but what made him really stand out was the large pair of beautiful yellow wings that were extended from his back._

_She smiled, an eyebrow raised, "And who are you supposed to be?"_

"_Why, hello to you too, fair maiden." He smirked back._

"_Okay, hello Robin. Now, may I question you on your wings?"_

_He smiled gently, "Ah, but I am my namesake, Robin Goodfellow! The puck of Shakespeare!"_

_Evangeline laughed, "Lord, what fools these mortals be!"_

_Robin smiled gently, "Indeed. And now, foolish mortal, will you be so kind as to accompany me to the balcony?" he asked, bowing low._

_Evangeline's green eyes sparkled, "Of course, knavish sprite."_

_Chuckling softly, Robin Goodfellow escorted Evangeline out into the cool night's air._

* * *

"_Malfoy?"_

_Hermione looked on, aghast, as she saw Malfoy, heaving and groaning, leaning over the sink. His shirt was ripped off and laid in tatters on the ground, the only thing on his sweating body were his dark slacks. He looked up at her, his eyes dark and haunted, "Granger? Wh-What are you doing in here?"_

_He shrieked again in pain as his back twisted, two unusual shapes were under his skin, on his shoulder blades and were pushing and pulsing outwards._

_Hermione ignored the question and rushed to his aid, her wand dropped in the process. "Merlin! Malfoy, what's happening?"_

_He laughed humourlessly, "You know, I didn't think it'd hurt this much."_

_He gasped again in pain and sunk to his knees. Hermione rushed to his side, pulling his sobbing head into her lap, calming him down as he frantically whimpered and the two twisted shapes tore at him from under his skin._

"_Uh… I'll go get Madam Pomfrey! This doesn't look too good Malfoy… What happened, where you meddling with Dark Arts - "_

"_No!' Malfoy interrupted her, 'don't take me to Madame Pomfrey and no, this was not caused by Black Magic. It is … entir – ely! natural." He groaned out painfully, gasping for air._

"_Natural? How can this be natural?"_

"_Shut up Granger and do me favour."_

_Hermione scowled, "You're not going about asking for a favour very well."_

* * *

_Evangeline followed Robin out onto the balcony, where it overlooked the nearby mountains._

"_Robin?" she asked gently, his back was to her and she couldn't make out what he was thinking. Absentmindedly she reached up and ran her hands over the large wings. Robin shuddered softly and relaxed and Evangeline was surprised to feel that the wings were actually warm. They weren't covered in feathers, like the Muggle 'Angels', but had the thin and translucent membrane of a butterfly._

_Robin turned around and wrapped Evangeline's hands in his own._

"_Evangeline, I was wondering… Do you love me?"_

_She smiled softly and her eyes sparkled, she reached up and gently kissed him, "…Yes." She breathed._

_He smiled wondrously down at her._

"_What would it take for you to turn away from me?"_

_Evangeline laughed, "Well, I can't say lack of money, because neither of us has any, I can't say if your health leaves you, because I had to sit through almost a semester of babysitting Tina while you had Dragon Pox and I didn't leave you then. In fact,' Evangeline looked up slyly and smiled, 'I think Tina likes me more than you now."_

_Robin gasped dramatically, "You don't mean it! You cruel woman, how could you say my little sister loves you more than me?"_

_She laughed, "Easily. Like this, She loves me more than you."_

_Robin grinned down at her, "Well, I guess the only way I can get her back is through you…And since the only way to get you and keep you is…' Robin slowly bent down on one knee, his eyes not losing contact with Evangeline's. She gasped, the hand not clasped with Robin's came up to cover her mouth, '…with this ring. Evangeline, my darling, will you marry me?"_

_Evangeline gasped for breath and tears filled her eyes as she started to shake her head. Robin's brow furrowed and doubt began to show._

"_Evangeline?"_

* * *

_Draco tried to sneer, but the pain on his face quickly turned it to pleading and he panted as he pressed a piece of paper into her hands._

"_Say the spell. It – It'll get rid of the pain… I – I can't focus enough right now to sa – say it right."_

_Hermione quickly unfolded it to reveal a word that was neither English nor Latin written in large loopy writing and she panicked._

"_What's the wand movements for this Malfoy?"_

_He gasped and rushed out, "Nothing, it's wandless!"_

_Hermione frowned and chewed her lip in self-doubt, before quietly muttering the spell, waving her hand over the general area of his back and the shifting shapes pulsing under his skin._

_The effect was almost like a silencing spell, the pain drained from Draco's face and he sighed, burying his sweaty face into Hermione's lap in relief, and yet the things under his skin continued to writhe._

"_Thank you." He said softly._

_Hermione looked startled, before smiling softly and stroking some strands of his hair out of his exhausted face._

"_You're welcome."_

* * *

_Evangeline was shaking her head slowly and Robin looked up at her, worry etched on his brow. "Evangeline…"_

_She looked at his worried face and started to smile, "I – I don't know what to say…"_

"_Say yes."_

_She beamed in joy but then looked at him teasingly, "I dunno, you didn't say the magic word…"_

_Robin smirked and stood up slowly, towering over her and gently pulling her into his arms, "Evangeline, will you – please – make me the happiest person in the world and marry me?"_

"_Well, since you said please…" she breathed. Robin didn't even wait for a reply before swooping down and claiming her lips like a magpie after something shiny._

_He pulled away and Evangeline smiled softly up at him, her eyes fluttering open._

"_I have a confession to make first…"_

"_Uh oh, is this where you tell me that you're a homicidal axe murderer and have actually taken me hostage and this is just some whacked out Stockholm syndrome dream I had while unconscious?"_

_Robin looked taken aback, "Uhhh… No. You actually thought that?"_

_She shrugged, "It could happen, the mind can convince us of almost anything."_

_Robin smiled, "Actually, I want to tell you a secret…Can you keep it?"_

"_No, I'm horrible with secrets."_

"_You and I both know that's a lie. You kept Ellen's secret for ten years."_

_Evangeline looked startled, "She told you? Which one?"_

"_Ellen's got more than one secret?"_

_Evangeline whacked her head with her hand, "Never mind."_

_Robin smiled and lowered his head until his mouth was beside her ear and he gently whispered into it, "These wings…are real."_

_He smiled down into her shocked round eyes before whispering again, "And I'm not just named after Robin Goodfellow… I am Robin Goodfellow."_

* * *

"_Malfoy, can you please tell me what's going on?"_

_Malfoy was breathing deeply, his eyes closed and murmured something._

_Hermione leant down and her hair curtain of just whispered over his cheek as he sighed softly, "What was that?"_

"…_I'm sorry. For everything. I- If you're going to find out about this, I might as well tell you everything… I'm not who you think I am, I don't hate muggle borns and I –I'm going to be a Death Eater."_

_Hermione recoiled suddenly; fear flashing in her eyes, but the way Malfoy clung to her stopped her from getting up, running away and shouting it to the world._

"_I'm a member of the Order and I've been groomed to be a spy, pretty much since birth. Snape… my Mother and Father… They're all spies too… But we have to keep up a pretence of hating muggles and muggle-borns, or else HE will know and it'll all be for nil. Then You-know-who will… well, you know what'll happen."_

_Hermione stroked the hair out of his eyes and he suddenly looked up at her._

"_It's time."_

_Evangeline looked at Robin blankly as he told her that he was, in fact, Puck from Shakespeare's 'Midsummer Night's Dream' and that he was, actually, a Fae._

_Robin studied her worriedly, "Love?"_

_Suddenly, "Looking good for a coupl'a hundred of years, I have to say." She said absently. _

_Robin laughed in relief, "Thank goodness! I thought I'd lost you there!"_

"_But,' Evangeline turned her big eyes already swimming with unshed tears to his, 'this means that you'll live for centuries. I'll only last a couple of decades."_

"_Honey, there is a reason why I'm here and why I'm marrying you. All the Fae women want me. No really!' he laughed at her doubtful expression, 'I'm the heir to the Underground. Basically, they want me for my stasis and money - "_

"_But…you don't have a cent to your name!"_

"_Technically, I'm fabulously wealthy. Truly!' Again with the doubtful expression, 'And so Mother and Father sent me to the Aboveground to find myself a wife, to love and to hold and one that would love and hold me back. Once you marry me…You'll be fae too."_

_Evangeline was silent for a minute, then, "Do those work?" she asked, absently stroking the base of his wings again."_

"_Yes." He smiled._

"_Will I get wings?" she asked hopefully._

"_Of course!"_

"_Hmmm… Is Christine a Fae too?"_

_Robin looked shocked, "Yes, how did you know?' he lowered his voice and looked around __conspicuously as Evangeline giggled, '__Truth is; I've been trying to avoid her ever since I got here."_

"_Well, she was always very protective of you and absolutely detests me."_

"_But what does that - "_

"_And she's wearing the same type of wings as you. Everyone keeps asking me if we've broken up and that's why you went with her."_

_He gathered the woman into his arms, "Oh, Love, no… Yes she is a Fae, she's one of the noble women I keep trying to avoid. Her real name is Moth."_

_Evangeline laughed, "I believe you honey, but there's something I wanted to tell you."_

* * *

_Malfoy heaved himself to his feet as Hermione hovered around him, trying to avoid touching his back in fear of hurting him, but trying to help as best she could._

"_The spell's going to wear off soon…"_

"_Do you want me to re-cast it?"_

_He shook his head, "No, that won't help. It'll only last a minute anyway."_

_A few seconds later he was crying out in agony again, almost collapsing as Hermione held him up, crying as she saw him in a pain she couldn't relieve._

"_Com'on Draco, please Draco, pull through!" she whispered to him._

_The shapes were twisting and turning even more and Hermione gasped as she could hear the sharp tearing of skin._

_Tearing her eyes from his face, she watched in morbid fascination as a pair of butterfly wings erupted from his back._

_Moments later, Draco stopped shuddering and collapsed in a sweaty heap on the ground, Hermione beside him, soothing him as he slowly feel asleep on the cold tiles of the bathroom floor._

_Hermione glanced around for her wand and noticed it had rolled under one of the toilet stalls, far from her reach. Concentrating, she decided to try out summoning her wand; she had read the spell for it and thought this was as good a time as any._

_Later on, wand in hand, Hermione levitated Draco and placed him on a small mattress she had transfigured one of the sinks into, careful to place him on his stomach so his large, beautiful, Gryffindor red wings, wouldn't be harmed._

_Debating internally as to whether or not to leave him, Hermione stood up, worrying her lip. She felt a hand clutch her ankle and looked down to see Draco, half sitting up and looking at her blearily._

_She crouched down, "Draco…Are you okay?"_

_He nodded his head, "Yeah, I just need a Pepper up Potion, then I should be great." He croaked._

_She stroked his head, she just couldn't seem to stop doing that, "I need to go now Draco, I have rounds and Ron will go looking for me if I don't turn up soon."_

_Draco stiffened, "Why did he let you go into a boy's toilet alone if he'll be so worried?"_

_Hermione smiled tightly, "He was meeting up with Lavender Brown for a quick snog, but thinks I think he's in the loo."_

_Draco reached up and cupped her face, "He's a fool for letting a beauty like you go… Thank you for being here for me - Hermione."_

_Taken aback by his kindness, especially as he wasn't writhing in pain and needing a favour, Hermione smiled, "That's okay, do you need anything else?"_

_Draco blinked at her solemnly before reaching into his pocket and drawing out a small glazed pot. He held it out to her, "Could – Could you – please – put this on the base of my w – wings?"_

_Hermione smiled softly as she took the pot from a silent Draco and sat behind him on the mattress, gently applying the salve to his back._

* * *

"_What do you need to tell me? I hope this won't trump my awesome, 'I'm a famous Fae that will inherit the entire Fae kingdom' will it?"_

_Evangeline chuckled softly, "I have to say, I'm glad you asked me to marry you tonight…"_

"_I am too."_

"_Shh! Let me finish!" she laughed softly and whacked him on the arm._

"_Sorry." He grinned_

"_Anyway, I'm glad you asked me to marry you tonight and that you told me your secret because... your kingdom is growing already."_

_Robin raised an eyebrow, "Okay… What do you mean by that? Is there a whole heap of horrible in-laws I never knew of?"_

_Evangeline laughed and, grabbing his hand, placed it on her stomach, more precisely, over her womb, "No, I mean your kingdom is __**growing**__ already."_

_Robin glanced down at his hand and hers on top of it and his eyes widened, "You mean?"_

_She nodded._

_Robin and Evangeline laughed blissfully as he captured her in his arms and spun her around, the velvet night enclosing them in its folds, away from the music and bright lights happening just inside._

* * *

_As Hermione finished putting on the salve, Draco's wings disappeared from sight and she gasped._

"_D-Draco! Your wings - "_

"_I know; that's what the salve does. Luckily, it's just a type of glamour that tucks the wings away and hides them. And it won't be like tonight every time I want to use them." He chuckled hollowly._

_Hermione looked amazed and reached out a hand to where the wings were, "So, they're still there?"_

_Draco shook his head, his back still facing her, "Yes and No. The wings have tucked themselves back into my back; they aren't technically there. No will know about them and no one will see them. Luckily, it's only the initial blooming that hurts."_

_Hermione nodded slowly, "Okay…Well, I have to get back now...' she chewed her lip, 'Good luck Draco." She said as she quietly handed him the salve and walked to the door._

"_Hermione! Wait!" Draco cried, just as she reached the door. She turned around and saw Draco standing there in all his glory, glistening, toned chest and low slung slacks. Her breath caught, but luckily Draco didn't notice as he fidgeted nervously, "I – I want… Do you want to meet up again sometime? Maybe… go to the next Hogsmeade trip with me? I – I mean, that is - "_

_Hermione smiled, she had never seen such an inarticulate Draco Malfoy before, nor such a sweet and nervous one, "Yes."_

"_Wh – What?" he asked disbelieving and hopeful._

"_I'll meet you in the Three Broomsticks then?"_

_He nodded gratefully and she slipped out the door, leaving an ecstatic Draco Malfoy behind to find a blissfully snogged Ronald Weasley who would no doubts be talking non stop about his 'Lav-Lav' for the rest of their patrols. Hermione had never felt so grateful before to her dorm mate for taking away her best friend for all those snogging sessions._

_It took a couple of months and explaining to quietly integrate Draco Malfoy into her small knit group as her boyfriend, but once there he got along famously with the other two; he and Harry talked enthusiastically about DADA and various Seeker manoeuvres and he gave Ron a run for his money in Wizarding chess. _

_So much so, that it soon became a common sight to see Ron Weasley stalk over to the Slytherin table for breakfast, lunch or tea, slam down a Wizarding Chess board and challenge Draco to another game. _

_Admittedly the first time it happened, everyone around them had braced themselves for a full blown fight, as did the Professors; who gripped their wands and made to move for them, but they astonished everyone when they calmly started to play, Ron reaching over and grabbing a plate of food, so he could eat and play comfortably. _


	41. Chapter 41

**Author's Note - Whoo - State of Origin tonight! ^_^ GO MAROONS! **

**Oh... And here's another chapter for everyone to read! I hope it's good enough, and helps clear things up... Or does the next chapter do that? ... Ah well! GO MAROONS!**

* * *

Chapter forty–one.

Hermione breathed a sigh of relief.

"Wow, that spell actually worked…" Hermione looked around the room in amazement. A time ward had been placed over the property, freezing everyone and any magic (or curses) in that moment of time. Well, everyone except for those who enter later on and the caster; giving Hermione free reign to search for the real Alice and remember what she actually _looks_ like, as well as her personality.

According to Alice's diary (unlike Harry's Half Blood Prince's Potion book, Hermione had made sure it was written by someone she knew… or at least had known) Hermione had gone back and found that the spell was an Ancient Germanic enchantment that had been used to escape and surpress a terrible curse... or a prophesy (the legend had been unclear as to what it was) that had been placed on a princess.

Unfortunately, continuing with the legend, the caster had been killed before she could find lift the enchantment and everyone had remained asleep for 100 years. Then a prince from a neighbouring kingdom found the princess and her servants, even though the Notice-Me-Not and Disillusion charms that had the castle looking like ruins surrounded with brambles were still firmly in place. He promptly raped the beautiful sleeping girl and left her still frozen body behind when he returned to his own kingdom.

The girl later gave birth and a couple of Faes found her, still frozen asleep and her two babes crying for food and decided to help. One managed to find a reversal for the enchantment and the princess awoke to find herself a mother to twins.

Thus, the spell had been distinctly not used in the following decades and centuries, for fear of the same thing happening to the subjects.

Thinking of Alice's diary, Hermione thought she'd better go back to where she left it in the room and use it to find her Magical Signature.

Wandering the halls of frozen portraits, Hermione made sure to check each one carefully, in case she could find someone who didn't belong. After all, she now had all night…

* * *

Hermione soon found herself back in Alice's old room; it was covered with pictures of places around the world, with various people in it, all waving and smiling. Hermione frowned as she leaned in; the pictures had all one consistency… A smiling, cheerful blonde with eyes the same light tone as her hair… and every once and a while the picture girl would flicker to become a small petite, black haired form that Hermione knew as the Changeling Alice… The magic had yet to change all forms of the Alice Hermione had known to the Alice Hermione now knew… It was all rather confusing, but Hermione now knew one thing; what the real Alice, the Alice whose memory she could only grasp at as it morphed into something different, what she looked like.

The diary lay innocently on the duvet cover of Alice's childhood bed, looking all the while like someone had just left it to wash the dishes or do a chore and any moment now, an Alice Hermione could only faintly remember, would come bouncing in to write more spells and jokes in, and to draw more fantastic creatures that only Luna could recognise.

Hermione smiled; at least she could still remember when she and Luna had sat down by the fire and Alice had told them of many fantastically illogical beasts that were real, Luna'd just deciphered the runes in regards to their locations wrongly. No, wait… Hermione grasped the memory as firmly as she could, but could still feel it slipping away, to be replaced with them gossiping around the fireplace about clothes and boys…

Annoyed at herself, knowing that that wasn't the real memory, but for the life of her, couldn't remember what had really happened instead of gossiping, Hermione grabbed a picture and shoved it into her pocket, Alice's forms still flickering. Hermione reverently picked up the diary and closed her eyes, muttering the Magical Signature Tracing spell. When she opened her eyes again, she could spot the trail of magic that everyone Magical left behind. The trails glowed brightly, distinctly floating through the air; she could see her magic as it trailed into the room, a deep purple that sparkled and hung. Glancing down at the book, it was now incased in a shining blue magic that swirled and sparkled, leaping out the room and to where Alice should be, but hanging threateningly and nearly overwhelmingly over it was the sickly green magic of the Changeling, as it prepared to take over Alice's Magical Signature.

Hermione rushed to follow the blue and green, but as she turned to close the door behind her, she wondered absently as to what had happened to the fairy in the snow globe that had been there the last time she'd come in.

* * *

Hermione raced through the winding halls of the house, still amazed that such a small and unassuming house on the outside could hold this many rooms and stories.

And even then, almost everyone here had opted to sleep outside, under the stars. Although Hermione couldn't blame them (because, hey, she was doing that too!) because, it was so HOT right now; she was sweating in the sweltering night heat! And there was also the fact that Outback Australia was the place where you could see the most stars than anywhere else in the world.

Finally finding the lounge room, where everyone had been frozen seated or pacing as they waited and listened to Padma's screams. Hermione tried not to think of the fact that Padma's face was currently contorted in pain.

She followed the trail past a green faced and worried Ron in mid-pace and out the front door, onto the porch. Outside, the kids had been playing tiggy and had managed to convince one of the teenagers to 'Accio' Harry. This was judging from the frozen faces of glee and clapping hands, as a glowing purple Harry was held mid-air, still in the 'Accio' spell, from his hiding place in the giant Christmas Eucalyptus Tree.

Hermione bounded down the steps, and as she did so, morphed into her wolf form, now leaping and running swiftly across the yard, following the trail of magic. The wind rustled in her fur as she ran quickly, one glowing wolf eye on the trail, the other on the look out for anything suspicious. She took a running leap over the up-coming fence. As she glided over it, her soft fur rustled and turned into gleaming feathers as she transformed into her owl form, figuring it would save time in over coming other obstacles like fences and large rocks.

Alice's magic trail led Hermione off the property and therefore, out of the time spell. Hermione's eyes widened as much as they could in her owl form as she realised that the Changeling must be planning on performing the final take over of Alice's life tonight, just in time for Christmas.

* * *

Alice gasped for breath as her crystal shattered around her, the water like trance she had been in, breaking. She gave a great shuddering moan as she felt the other crystal that held her wings breaking as well. But the shards of the crystal still remained imbedded into her skin around the base of her wings, large parts of the glass poking out and surrounding her wings.

Tears poured down her face in gasps as the pain overwhelmed her mind.

"Tut, tut, little Halfling. Is that anyway to greet your cousin?" A familiar voice greeted her in old Celtic.

Alice looked up from the dirt, where rocks and stones embedded themselves into her hands and knees, and into the smirking face of her cousin.

"Cobweb?" She asked weakly, repeating in kind.

"Good work, Little Halfling. Now, stand up like a good Husband stealer."

Alice gasped again in sudden pain as she was hoisted up by her arm, making the muscles in her back clench tighter around the glass.

"H-Husband stealer?"

"Yes, as well as being the Heir of a Kingdom that I should be." Cobweb drawled, bored. She flicked a finger tipped in a dark red nail and Alice's hands were bound and attached to a branch high above her head, Alice once again crying out in pain and confusion.

Somehow, her 'lovely cousin' had managed to suppress all her magic, even outside the crystal, and now she was dangling off a branch, held there by a rope that bit and rubbed into her skin, as her feet barely touched the ground. Blood dripped even more profusely from her back as the crystal shards dug themselves even deeper into her muscles and her wings hung down limply.

Cobweb stalked around the dangling body of a barely conscious Alice and smirked, "You know what I'm going to do, Little Halfling? I am going to take back your Husband and your crown."

Alice croaked out angrily, "I know you can easily take away Harry, with your charms and looks, without enchanting me, but you can't take away the fact that I'm the Heir and if I die, it will automatically go to Draco! Not you!"

Cobweb smiled and tutted again, "My dear cousin… Who said I'd kill you? No, in about five minutes from now, one of your oh-so-loyal friends will be arriving to save you, saying that the pregnant one is having troubles with her baby, but somehow she hasn't gone into labour yet."

Alice's eyes widened, "Padma…" she whispered and Cobweb smiled cruelly.

"Indeed, Padma… Now, you will get there, and well, lets just say that you'll recognise the curse _very easily_… After all, it is what Mother used on your Aunty Cissa and dear cousin Draco to get your father to hand over the crown..."


	42. Chapter 42

Chapter forty-two.

_Robin and Evangeline cooed over their fourteen month old daughter. Although their older daughter, Amelia, hadn't inherited Robin's Fae-like tendencies, Amelia still loved the little girl, being especially proud when she was finally allowed to baby-sit her._

_Little Alice kicked and gurgled at her smiling parents as they tickled her feet. They were interrupted when an International Emergency Floo call came through, the fire in their cosy cottage in New Zealand flaring green as a worried head came through._

"_Robin! Evangeline!"_

"_Lucius! What's wrong?"_

"_It's Cissa! I think someone's put a curse on her! I need your help!"_

"_I'll be right over.' Robin said. Lucius nodded worriedly and withdrew his head. He turned around to see Evangeline glaring at him and Alice staring from her arms. He sighed and tugged her into his arms, "I can't let you come with me; someone has to look after Alice." He whispered into her hair._

_Evangeline sighed, "I know, you'd better hurry though, or Lucius will have your head."_

_Robin smirked and kissed the top of Evangeline's head and tickled Alice's tummy. Alice gurgled and grabbed her dad's thumb and he smiled, "Bye sweetie."_

_Robin walked out into the cool New Zealand night air and beyond the wards, where he disapparated to Malfoy Manor, England. Being a world-class curse-breaker had its perks. _

_Like all Australians and New Zealanders, as soon as he'd turned 17 he'd gotten an International Apparation Licence, mostly because most of the Wizarding World existed overseas. But every witch and wizard still had to go through Customs, to make sure nothing illegal or any Dark Arts got through. _

_Being an International Renowned Curse Breaker meant he could by-pass all Customs and attend emergencies...like this one._

* * *

_Evangeline walked around the lounge room, bouncing an unhappy Alice in her arms and Amelia walked in through the front door._

"_Mum! Dad! I'm home - Mum? What's wrong?"_

_Evangeline sighed, "Your father had to go over to England to help break a curse on Aunty Cissa."_

_Amelia frowned, "Has she had her baby yet?"_

_Evangeline pursed her lips and sighed, "No."_

_Amelia looked worried, "Do you want me to look after Alice? You can help Dad and Aunty Cissa…"_

_Evangeline smiled uncertainly at the 17 year old, who had just recently gotten her Apparation Licence and International Apparation Licence... but still..._

_ "I don't know Amy… She's a lot of work…"_

_Amelia grinned, knowing she had already won the argument, "Nah, she'll be right mum! I'll look after the little mongrel!"_

_Evangeline laughed and shook her head, "Okay, but I swear, when I get my hands on your father for teaching you that word in relevance to a baby…"_

"_Oh, it wasn't Dad, it was Uncle Sirius!"_

_She narrowed her eyes, "Him too then."_

_A baby Alice was deposited into a smiling Amelia's arms as Evangeline hurried out to help her favourite, albeit fairly distant, cousin have her first baby._

_Amelia cooed at a large eyed Alice who kicked and gurgled happily in response, "Come on baby, let's go have some milo! Yes, you like milo don't you? Yes you do!"_

* * *

_Evangeline entered Malfoy Manor at a run, as she could already hear her cousin's screams. A house elf appeared and grabbed Evangeline's hand before disapparating her to Narcissa's room._

_Narcissa was on her bed crying in pain and Evangeline rushed to her side soothing her brow as she clutched at her hands._

_Narcissa turned her head to her, "Evey… I know I'm not in labour…My water hasn't broken yet… But why does it hurt so much?"_

"_Shh, honey, shhh. It'll be alright."_

_Robin was quickly mixing a salve by her bedside and Lucius anxiously poked his head through the ajar in the door._

"_What's happening? Is she going to be alright?"_

"_Shh Devil, I'm trying to work!" Robin waved a hand at him, frowning._

"_Well, work faster Puck! My wife is in pain!" and with that, Narcissa's husband firmly closed the door and went back to pacing the hall._

_The salve finally finished, Robin spread it over Narcissa's exposed, heavily pregnant stomach, before muttering a charm; making his hands glow a soft yellow._

_Evangeline looked up, saw what he was doing and gasped in horror, "No! Robin! Don't do this!"_

_He looked at her grimly, "It's the only way, and you know it. At least you'll be able to look after our girls."_

_Evangeline started to cry and Narcissa, her voice hoarse from yelling, whispered up to her panicking, "What is it?" _

_As Evangeline tried to sooth the panicked woman, a soft glow came from the fireplace and out stepped a tall, elegant woman, with shining green wings. "Go on Puck,' the woman whispered, 'Save your wife's cousin and her babe."_

_Robin glared at her, "I intend to, Moth."_

_Moth sighed and looked at her nails, "All of this pain and torture could've been prevented if you'd only married me."_

_Robin ignored her and concentrated on Narcissa's stomach. He carefully placed his hands on it and started to chant under his breath. Soft tendrils of his yellow magic curled under his palms, through Narcissa's stomach and settled within the babe she bore. It must've made the pain lessen as Narcissa let out a relieved sigh. _

_Moth smirked triumphantly at him as he started to sway unsteadily and, with a cry, Evangeline rushed to his side. Taking a deep breath, she started to chant along with him, her red magic curling with his to make it, and him, stronger as Moth's smirk grew bigger._

_As they continued their spell, Narcissa barely knew what was going on, her eyes were closed as she focused on keeping the baby that had taken her and Lucius so long to get. _

_Slowly, Robin and Evangeline's muggle based clothes disappeared and in its place royal Fae robes appeared and Moth leaned forward eagerly as she saw the Heir crown appear on Robin's head. _

_Soon Narcissa's breathing was no longer laboured as the pain went away. She opened her eyes just in time to see her cousin and her cousin's husband collapse. She looked up to see a strange woman in the room with her. With Narcissa shrieking loudly at the intruder, Lucius tried to break down the door, but was unable, due to the Anti-theft charms he had placed heavily around the room and forgotten about when he had closed the door. Moth ignored her and stalked forward to where Robin lay, her hand reaching for the crown. _

_At that moment in time, the wards warped as Amelia apparated directly into the room._

"_Sorry Mum, Dad, but Alice - " She began, her eyes on the bundle, but gasped when she saw Moth._

"_Aunty Moth?"_

_Moth sneered at her, "Hello you Fae-less Witch. How did you get here?"_

_Amelia sniped back, wand out and pointed at the enraged Fae, at the same time gently placing the baby on the ground, "You should know we learn more than one type of magic at the Academy. What are you doing here?"_

"_Making myself a Queen."_

"_Oh yeah? How you're going to do that? Dad's the Heir."_

_During all this, Moth didn't move towards the fallen Faes. An enraged Half Fae, even if she didn't possess Fae powers, was still someone to not be taken lightly._

_Narcissa stayed quiet, exhausted, but was breathing heavily as she realised her water had just broken._

_Moth sneered, her eyes on Amelia's wand, "As soon as I take care of you, I just have to put on the crown. That instantly makes me the Heir."_

_Amelia looked over Moth's shoulders and her eyes widened as she gasped quickly. Moth took that moment of distraction to quickly disarm the Half-Fae witch._

_Triumphant, Moth spun around to see… A little baby Alice, giggling by her dad's head as she played with his crown; putting it on her head, so that it fell down to her shoulders so she could suckle the cool metal._

_Moth shrieked with rage and pointed Amelia's disarmed wand at the baby. Ignoring Amelia's cry, she cast hex after hex at the baby, already knowing that none would take affect as the crown protected its Heir._

_Amelia jumped onto the back of the enraged Fae to try to wrestle the wand out the muggle way… The only way she knew the Fae wouldn't be able to defend herself with._

_They were still struggling when they were both encased within a bright, white light, that separated them._

_Amelia's Grandmother and Grandfather stepped out of the fireplace._

_King Oberon and Queen Titania, Royalty of the Faes and Leaders of the Underground and its High Court._

* * *

_In a short matter of time, Moth was banished and Amelia and Alice's parents were taken to the Underground for a three day recovery; because luckily, the curse hadn't been enough to kill them._

_Unfortunately for Amelia and Alice though, the days in the Underground differ greatly from day to day, than for the Aboveground. Three days could mean three minutes, three weeks, three years… or three decades. Not all necessarily in threes, but still… They would never know when Robin and Evangeline would return._

_So Amelia helped raise Alice as she went from country to country after her graduation, visiting relatives, friends and working. And each year the whole family and all their friends would gather for Christmas at someone's place, in a different country each time._

* * *

_Soon after Titania and Oberon said a sad farewell to their grandchildren, never really explaining how they knew to come, Narcissa began to shriek for Lucius as their baby began to crown._

_Soon, a baby Draco was born, with the powers of one of the most famous Faes ever and his wife born within him too…_


	43. Chapter 43

**Author's Notes - I'm sorry it's taken so long for me to write this, but I think I'm going backwards in regards to having the ability to write. Is it just me, or are the sentences all awkward? Anyway, I hope this clears things up, etc!**

* * *

Chapter forty-three.

Alice hissed at Cobweb, "And it didn't work for your mother either! So what makes you so sure it'll work now?"

Cobweb smiled coldly, "Ah, but in case you didn't notice, there aren't any innocent little _Fae_ babies here to grab a hold of your crown. Only adults ('Draco...') that can be told to wait outside. And if I don't get that crown, Padma and her baby will pay the price.' Cobweb cooed, 'And I know you'll put them first; as preggers became your responsibility when you convinced her _nothing bad_ would happen in Australia. And that smart friend of yours? You know that there's something wrong there too, don't you? Before you die, you might want to help her with that, or she'll never know her own history… You don't want that to be on your conscious as you die, now do you?"

Alice stared at her in horror as she laughed mercilessly.

Cobweb winked, "Oh, and that hunky Boy-Who-Lived? Totally mine now. Once you're gone, I'll fully take over your life, just with… _adjustments_. Like your personality," she finished, muttering to herself.

* * *

Hermione flew swiftly over the contours of the desert land before reaching the various wards she had put up and crossed them.

* * *

"Of course, I'll have to make sure that you don't actually _survive_ the curse-breaking, and I have to admit, you do have more power than me… sooo, I'll be taking some of that too."

With a malicious grin, Cobweb started to draw away a defenceless Alice's magic. It was as easy as stealing lollies from a baby…

She had been drawing away her power for barely a minute when, with a screech, a magnificent owl swooped down, changing swiftly into an incensed Hermione Granger who began firing spell after spell at her.

Cobweb sneered at her in faked surprise, gave one last pointed look to a barely conscious Alice and disapparated away.

"Alice! Alice!" Hermione cried out and sent a quick spell at the ropes, letting her tumble down in a collapsed heap. Hermione didn't notice the blood or drooping blue wings as she helped the New Zealand witch up.

"Alice, its Padma! Something's wrong! We - "

"I know. Where is she?" Alice ground out.

"Back at the house, but there's heaps of wards up that'll take too much time to take down and we're too far away - "

Alice grabbed a hold of Hermione, pulled her away out of the magic immobilising charmed circle and disapparated away.

* * *

They apparated back into the kitchen of the house. Hermione gapped, "Alice – How - ?"

"Hermione, how many times do I have to tell you? Firstly, there is more than one type of magic that you have to ward against and know of, such as those House Elves you so admire and secondly, research things deemed myth. Stories always have a foundation of truth." Alice turned away and walked out of the kitchen, her head held high. Hermione's head was still spinning at the fact that her impenetrable wards had just been… penetrated.

Hmmm…Research was definitely in order.

Hermione blinked, she could've sworn she just saw wings on Alice's back.

"Oof!" Alice exclaimed as she felt herself pinned against the floor, with both magic and Hermione's body, her wings crumbled painfully under her body and the glass pieces dug even deeper due to the extra weight. Hermione glared into her face and directed her wand at Alice's temple.

"Who are you and what have you done with the real Alice?" she snarled.

"But I am the real Alice!"

"You can't fool me, Changeling Fae! Now what have you done with her?"

"Ch - Changeling? Fae?"

"Please! You have wings!"

Alice stifled the pain and looked up at Hermione with sorrowful eyes, "When I first met you I claimed to have never heard of Harry Potter, despite being a Pureblood. I then promptly followed this up by freezing Harry Potter in place when he tried to seal off my windows. Each night I ask you if we can have a window open and I always scent the breezes with smells from Australia and New Zealand… and hope that you don't notice."

Hermione stared at her in horror and climbed off her, "Al – Alice? Why do you have wings?"

She chuckled humourlessly, "The same reason Draco has wings, and the same reason why you can't remember it."

"Draco's a … Fae?" Hermione gapped and felt herself go limp in disbelief.

Alice stood up slowly and walked proudly towards her, her long blonde hair trailing behind her as her eyes glittered dangerously, her ears curiously pointed. Hermione tried to recall everything she had read about Faes, but could only remember things she'd been told as a child.

There was the Seelie Court, where all the benevolent magical folks resided in, and the UnSeelie Court; the home of all those whose magic had malicious intent. Members of the UnSeelie Court took every chance they could to trick and harm any hapless humans (Muggles and Wizarding folk alike) they came across.

Those in the Seelie Court helped deserving Muggles, witches and wizards…sometimes. But they could also be tricky and cruel, just not to the same extent of the opposite Court. And now a very angry looking Fae was heading her way…

"Now that I'm in my Fae form, I will be able to help you easily." Alice stared intently into the eyes of a suddenly shorter Hermione. She reached up and tried to place a hand on Hermione's temple. She gasped as the muscles tore again and her arm went limp. After a few false starts, which never got further than her arm being raised a few inches and ended in Alice grunting in frustration, Hermione gently took her hand and placed it on her temple.

Hermione gasped as she felt Alice shuffle painfully through her memories. Hermione's knees crumpled as she shut her eyes against the pain, her wand laid forgotten on the floor, but even then she knew that wouldn't help against a powerful and what she had thought mythological, Fae.

Suddenly, Alice came to a barrier that Hermione could see in her mind's eye, as if in a dream. The barrier gave off a happy vibe and Mental Hermione's hand reached out to curiously caress it, feeling the gentle warmth it let off. It felt as delicate and fragile as a small bird being held in the palm of one's hand. It fluttered like a small heartbeat and Hermione had the deepest urge to protect it with all her might.

She screamed as the barrier suddenly shattered into a million pieces; because of a determined Fae. Hermione gasped in horror as memories… and emotions…flooded her senses.

So many happy memories of her and Draco… And how they'd come to love each other…

* * *

When he first confessed, not his love, but his lack of hate…

"…_I'm sorry. For everything. I- If you're going to find out about this, I might as well tell you everything… I'm not who you think I am, I don't hate muggle borns and I –I'm going to be a Death Eater.__I'm a member of the Order and I've been groomed to be a spy, pretty much since birth. Snape… my Mother and Father… They're all spies too… But we have to keep up a pretence of hating muggles and muggle-borns, or else HE will know and it'll all be for nil. Then You-Know-Who will… well, you know what'll happen."_

When he first asked her out…

_"I – I want… Do you want to meet up again sometime? Maybe… go to the next Hogsmeade trip with me? I – I mean, that is - "_

When he first confessed his love for her…

_She sat against the wall in an abandoned corridor, sobbing after she'd accidently overheard Pansy Parkison slurring her name into the mud. Complaining about her looks, her status…her horribly long and complicated name._

"_I love your name. 'Hermione'. Shakespeare isn't it? I've always been intrigued by Shakespeare… and intrigued by your Gryffindor tendencies. So different from Slytherin ones." Draco came out of nowhere and quietly rambled on for a few minutes to a slowly quieting girl._

"…_And of course, you hold so many people's love - "_

"_-Really?"_

"…_yes…"_

"_Like whose?"_

"_Harry, for one. Ron, Luna, your dorm mates, (the entire Gryffindor house as a matter of fact), me, the Ravencl - "_

"_Wait… What was that last one?"_

"_The Ravenclaw house…?"_

"_No, the one before that."_

"_Me. I love you, Hermione Granger. I thought you'd know that, being the smartest witch in our generation." He said teasingly._

There had been so many clues as to her lose of memories too…

How she'd known about Alice Fletcher, even just thinking that she'd read about her somewhere…

"_Hermione, if anything goes wrong, go to Sydney, Australia and look up Alice Fletcher. She's my cousin, well, sort of distant relation, but she'll be able to help you, no matter what.' He pulled out his wand, 'I'll put a charm on you so that, no matter what, you'll know of Alice Fletcher and that she'll be able to help you."_

How come her friends had been so instantly accepting of Draco, instead of protesting…

_All those times that Draco had joined them during their partying times…_

_All those times those suitors had been warded off… It wasn't because they thought that I couldn't handle myself, but because in their mind, I still belonged to Draco and I wouldn't be safe unless I had him…_

_"Look on the bright side, at least he was always called, 'The Slytherin Sex God', he can't be that bad in bed!" Neville joking on the platform… Everyone already knew…_

* * *

"Oh! I am going to kill them! Why didn't they tell me?" Hermione yelled, furiously as the memories subsided.

"Would you've believed them?" came the soft voice of a tired, wavering Alice.

Hermione wilted, "I sup'ose not. But why didn't Draco just do that for me? Or why didn't you do that sooner?"

"Draco doesn't know enough for him to do that without permanently scarring your memories, and I… Well, I never knew. No one told me. There were clues, but it is terribly impolite to just sort through someone's mind on a _hunch._ Although, in my Fae form, I can clearly see your enchantment…"

Alice nodded briskly and, contrastingly, walked drunkingly out of the corridor and into the living room, where Padma still lay frozen. It was at that point that Hermione noticed the blood stained, sacrificial white dress that Alice wore.

Quietly, Hermione followed Alice into the room and hung back, unsure for the first time in a long while.

Swiftly, in the role of a Healer, the Time ward came down, Padma's screaming started again and murmurs from outside drifted in. Everyone gave a jolt as they saw Alice standing in the room, when; not even a quarter of a second ago, it had just been Hermione pacing and trying to figure out how to get the real Alice.

"I need everyone else out. Now." Alice commanded, the authoritive tone in her voice no doubt coming from commanding troops in the Air Force and the decisiveness of a Healer in charge of a dire situation. Shocked into a subdued silence, Molly, Hermione and the two other women were marched out of the door. Once they were out, everyone turned on Hermione, determined to find out how she'd known where Alice was and how to get her. And how on Circe's green Earth had they thought that that Changeling was the real one.

Before Alice could fully close the door, a very purple Harry Potter rushed towards her, sweating in the heat.

"Is Padma alright?"

"She should be fine." She replied dead-pan, before closing the door and locking it.

It was better this way. No one would miss her if she were horrible to them.

* * *

Something Cobweb hadn't counted on was Alice's skill in politics. Even politics from the past. Now lying on the desk of the Minister of Magic was the documents pertaining to the freedom of marriage to all War Heroes.

Now that Hermione remembered the love she'd held for Draco, they would probably be getting married regardless. While Harry, sweet, gentle and reckless (what a contrary idea…) would be free to find true love.

Everyone from England would be there for Draco and Hermione, not because a soon-to-be-forgotten Alice had made so many new friends. And if Cobweb still managed to hook The-Man-Who-Defeated, then at least Alice had tried.

* * *

Padma was crying and whimpering in pain again, "Alice…You're here…Alice, it hurts so much!"

Alice's forehead crinkled as she cast a quick diagnostic spell on her, "I'm sorry Padma, but I have a very difficult choice for you to make… You're in labour, but… If you want to live, your baby will die, but if you want your baby to live… you will die. Who do you want me to save?"

Padma glanced up at Alice in distress, before looking away in shame.

"Tell – Tell Ron I love him. Tell him to raise our baby right. And if he meets someone else… Tell him to go for it."

Alice nodded solemnly and got to work. What she didn't tell Padma was the fact that the curse meant someone had to die and Padma was so kind... She'd put her baby's life ahead of her own. Padma and her baby would both live, she deserved it.

* * *

Ron paced outside the room, his face rather green as he kept glancing at the door and hearing his wife's hysterical screams. No one had the heart to cast a Silencing Spell on the room, because for some reason, silence right now meant something had gone wrong.

Padma screamed profanities through the door at Ron, but slowly grew quiet as the Painless charms took affect. The charms could only last for so long and soon she was yelling again.

They could all hear the soft coo of Alice's tired voice as she looked after and encouraged the witch in labour.

"ARGH! ALICE! MAKE IT GO AWAY!"

"Shhh, honey, it'll be alright…"

"NO! IT HURTS TO MUCH!"

"Just one more push and she'll be fully out!"

"URGH!"

A baby's cry was heard, quickly followed by –

"Alice! Alice! Are you okay? Alice get up! NO! ALICE! SOMEONE HELP ME! ALICE HAS COLLAPSED! HELP!"

Everyone, who had been sitting close to the door, quietly listening in, jumped up and started to rattle the door handle, trying to open it desperately, casting charm after charm of unlocking spells.

Hermione spun around to Draco, deciding to take Alice's words to heart. They would need a Fae to enter a room locked by another Fae.

"Drake!"

"Right behind you." He and Harry rushed in from outside, where they had wandered out while Padma gave birth, talking in soft voices (Harry still letting off a soft Purple glow) and came running back as soon as the yells for help had reached them.

The door was blasted off its hinges and those closest raced inside desperately.

Padma sat on the bed, holding a bloodied, but healthy infant to her chest as she tried to weakly defend the unconscious Fae on the ground from the smug one prowling towards her.

"Oh, give it up already!" Cobweb growled, as she flicked a wrist, a silent 'Expelliarmus' knocking the wand out of her hands. She froze as she saw all the people gaping at her.

Harry blinked, "Alice, is everything okay? I thought I heard Padma say you collapsed…"

"Oh no, nothing of the sort - "

Padma shrieked, "What are you talking about? Alice is on the floor, right there!" she pointed hysterically at Alice's dying and flickering form.

"Shh, honey, it's just hysteria from the hard labour…"

"No it's not! You're the Changeling!"

Hermione and Draco jolted; most of the others hadn't even heard Hermione's theory yet, only Molly, Padma and those two sweet old ladies who'd gone to bed and Draco… well, what Fae hadn't heard of Changelings?

Draco waved his hand and Cobweb's disillusionment charm disappeared. She shrieked in anger, grabbed the dying girl and apparated away. Everyone gasped and Padma sat, rocking and crying on the bloodied lounge. Ron rushed to her side to reassure her and look at their tiny baby girl. Everyone quickly walked outside where there was more space and to give the small group some peace and quiet.

Hermione turned to Draco in dismay. "Draco… Why didn't you - "

"…You remember?"

"Every single, blasted thing…"

He looked shocked and then grinned, reaching down to hug her closely to his body.

"Congratulations you two." Ron said, smiling, glad to see the two school sweethearts together again.

"Congratulations? Don't you think we should be congratulating you on your baby girl?" Draco asked as he wrapped his arms around Hermione.

Harry was looking around, staggered, "Yeah, yeah, mate congrats… But was I the only one who just saw some crazy fairy apparate Alice away… And that Alice was _dying?_"

Padma started crying again, "I – I heard what the Fae said… That the only reason Alice was dying was because I was pregnant…"

"Paddy, the curse had to be placed on a pregnant lady for her to get the crown… Alice would've done it for anyone, regardless of her own health.' Draco soothed her, 'and I should know, her parents did it for my mother."

"Does that mean our kid'll be Fae?" Ron asked, awed.

"Yep."

"Brilliant!"

"Ronald!"

"So… did that Fae person get her crown?" Harry asked hollowly. He was just standing in one place as he stared at the spot Alice was apparated away from.

Ron looked down and noticed something glinting. Curious, he bent down and picked it up, bringing to light a small tiara.

"I'm a gonna guess…no."

His baby girl blindly waved her small arms around and grasped the tip of the tiara. A small flash recognised the small girl as the next heir, which went unnoticed by the others.

Padma gently stroked her baby's face, she had her mother's dark skin, but she was willing to bet that the baby would have Ron's eyes.

"Does that baby have…blue hair? Or am I imagining things?" Harry whispered. Hermione shushed him, before herding him and Draco out of the room and closing the door softly.

Ron ignored them and curled up beside his wife and daughter, "So what'll we call her?" he whispered.

"…Alice."


	44. Chapter 44

Chapter forty-four.

"I miss Alice." Harry stated suddenly.

"Yeah." Hermione mumbled, with Alice gone, she should be at least happy that she could have the windows to her room closed during the night (and day), but after a couple of sleepless nights, she'd gotten up, opened the window and tried to do the same charm as Alice, but the smell wasn't quite the same…

"I miss how she always read weird books and discussed impossible things with Luna."

"Me too."

"And – and – and how she had that weird obsession with muggle paper clips and wooden boxes and always insisting on _open_ windows, despite the weather and - "

"Yes! We know Harry! We miss her too!" Hermione finally snapped.

The Australian magical sector of the Armed Forces and Police were searching for her tirelessly, as most of them were close friends of hers… Unfortunately, Australia has plenty of land in which to bury a body and never be found.

And then there were the chances of her being taken outside of the country, but all International Apparations have been monitored… And niente.

…And then there was the chance of her being Underground, but they had to wait for someone from the Underground to show up to confirm anything.

So Harry, Hermione, Luna, Blaise, Neville, Hannah, Ron, Padma and baby Alice were all stuck in England, with no way of helping, while Draco was currently searching in the Underground and had been since Christmas… which was two months ago.

He had said he'd only be a day, but then again…that was a day in Underground time…

Hermione sighed and adjusted her gown. Emily was getting married today, after so many months of planning and middle-of-the-night-hysterical-phone-calls. Her older brother, Nik, was going to escort her down the aisle before her little sister followed with their Dad…

When they had found out that the Marriage Law had been retracted for all 'War Heroes' and their engagement was null and void, Draco had quickly proposed again to an ecstatic Hermione before he had disappeared to the Underground in search of Alice.

There were so many other people fretting as well; everyone in Australia, Molly and Arthur and the Twins and their girlfriends… (Like Draco, even though they had no longer been obliged to marry their government chosen fiancées, they had all decided to pursue a relationship, partly from the fact that everyone else they knew or would know have all been married off…) Amelia had been in almost constant tears when they'd left and Hermione had felt so _helpless_.

Harry, instead of rejoicing his renewed state of bachelorhood, (which Ron kept insisting that he should) he moped around angrily, like a caged animal, unable to move with freedom (it was like their school days all over again…sigh). Alice's disappearance and probable death weighed heavily on his mind, but he made sure to never let his students take the brunt of his anger, nor his new Goddaughter; Alice, whom he visited frequently.

Speaking of which, Padma and little Alice were already seated in the Granger gardens, awaiting the two boys and the beginning of the ceremony.

"Harry, Ron… You should both go sit outside, the ceremony's starting soon."

Harry pouted, and Ron rethought doing the same thing and decided to do the mature thing…how boring.

So he pecked Hermione on the cheek, told her how beautiful she was (which prompted Harry to knock himself out of his misery momentarily to say the same thing sweetly) and dragged a moody Boy-Who-Lived-To-Be-A-Pain-In-Ron's-Butt outside into the (very large) Granger Gardens.

Nik knocked on the door soon after they had left and poked his head in, "Hey Hermione! You look beautiful! Are you ready?"

Hermione smiled at her older brother, "Yeah, thanks, I am. How's Em?"

Nik chuckled, "Absolutely stunning and nervous as the Muggle's Hell. Then again…so's Nathan. He's so scared that Em'll 'realise' that she could do so much better than him and run away… But than again, that's what's Em thinking too…" Nik rambled cheerfully and Hermione chuckled.

"They really love each other, don't they?"

"Yep! But, to tell you the truth, I'm really looking forward to your wedding, Little Sis!"

Hermione cocked her eyebrows, "Oh? Any particular reason? And don't you dare say it's because you thought I would have to be married off with a large dowry because I'm a bookworm!"

Nik looked at her mockingly shocked, "Hermione! I can't believe you'd think that of me!"

"Nik, you've said that to me before. Numerous times."

"Oh yeah… But anyway, I just can't wait to see Harry Potter in a dress!"

"…Why would Harry be in a dress?"

"He's your Maid of Honour, right?"

"Yeah, but…"

"So he has to be in a dress!"

"I don't think - "

"Oh don't worry, he won't upstage you in the beauty apartment! Besides, I've been collaborating with the twins and there's a Japanese Charm that they got that changes anything you're wearing into a pink bunny suit, so they're learning Japanese in order to modify it! Then, when they get bored of learning, they're gonna hire someone who actually can! Understand Japanese that it. Hopefully, when Draco gets back, they'll have managed to change it to a dress of some sort, so Harry can't get out of it!"

Hermione had a sudden flash back. _A girl's room in the middle of Outback Australia, a creamy coloured notebook with a carefully drawn sleeping dragon on it, and a spell… _

"_She flipped through the pages and noticed something highlighted and outlined several times on one of the pages._

_TRY THIS SPELL ON DRACO NEXT CHRISTMAS…IT'LL BE HILARIOUS!_

_ピンクのバニースーツの変換"_

"Nik…where did the twins get the spell from?"

"Oh, Alice gave it to them when she…' he gasped and covered his mouth shamefully, 'Oh shit! Hermione! I wasn't supposed to mention it! …You're crying - "

"Nikolas Granger. You know I won't cry! And I never will!"

He peered down at her sorrowfully, "Don't I?' He placed his hand on her cheek and Hermione was surprised when she saw it come away wet, 'I know I did, and I didn't even know the girl. So you, as one of her best friends…that her influence is still around… I imagine it must be really hard."

Hermione held back sobs; everyone was still talking about her, worrying about her, no one knew anything, it was like the world had paused and when it had started again, Alice wasn't there.

"How – How long do you think - ?"

"Well, it's been too long… they're only hoping for a body now…"

"But Draco! And – And the Underground!"

"'Mione… Emily needs you now and she's here with the living. Please… forget about Alice for the moment and be here for Emily…It's her wedding day."

Hermione sighed, "You're right.' She waved a hand and her tears disappeared, leaving her face immaculate, 'Lead the way Nik."

* * *

_Black messy hair, bright green eyes… _

_Someone else' memories shifting…_

_A glass crystal ball surrounded her._

_Sharp pain radiated through her back._

A golden blonde girl sat up from her bunk, gasping. The person above groaned and stuck her head over the side to peer down blearily.

"Goodfellow?"

"S-Sorry O'Harrow."

"Is it that dream again? You were thrashing about pretty heavily."

"Ye-yeah… I don't know how my brain can come up with these sorts of things!"

"…Maybe you watched too much 'Labyrinth'…that's all about a girl trapped in a crystal ball and it has faeries too…"

"Yeah…but in the dream, _I'm_ a fae too! And the girl's only in the ball when the Goblin King gave her that peach… Seriously though… If you eat food in the Underground you _have_ to stay! It's one of the oldest rules!"

The brunette sighed heavily, "By Jove, Goodfellow! It's too early for us to be discussing the finer points of Eire folklore and classic literature! We have to be up in three hours!"

"Oh, it's one already?"

"Yes, now sleep!"

The two girls laid in silence as others around them slept deeply.

"Goodfellow?"

"…Yeah?"

"Does…Does it hurt?"

"The shrapnel? …Sometimes."

"It hurts now, doesn't it?"

The blonde girl's eyes filled up with tears and she knew that if she spoke her voice would crack and give her away, so she just nodded.

The brunette took the silence as an affirmative and sighed.

"I'll go get you a hot pack." She rolled out of bed and jumped down gently onto the floorboards below.

She looked at the tangled sheets that had wrapped themselves around the exhausted new girl, the ship's rocking already lulling her back to sleep. She was a Kiwi doctor and had already seen several battles in the RAAF, leaving her scarred beyond belief, which was why she'd been placed in a the Sub-corps for the Navy. She never showed it during the day though, always being happy and cheerful, but when sleep over took her, she was plunged into hideous nightmares of tortured people dying before her eyes.

And when it wasn't that, it was of lost memories. She had been caught in a roadside bombing when her squadron was about to return home. Everyone had died except for her, she'd hit her head and gotten amnesia. She couldn't remember any of those gone, so felt incredibly guilty about surviving.

And, from what she called out during her sleep, O'Harrow and the others in the dorm could tell that she once had a sweetheart, but he'd died. She kept calling out for him to not leave her. Her Harry. Although, it must have something to do with her sub-conscious, as when ever she wakes, she can remember nary a thing. Not even her sweetheart.

By the time O'Harrow got back from sneaking into the medical tent for a hot pack, Goodfellow had fallen asleep, a worried look on her face as she lay belly down. O'Harrow smiled gently and pulled away the tangle of sheets, placed the hot pack over the spot where she knew to be a mess of scars concentrated in between her shoulder blades and pulled the sheets back up over the nice girl.

Ever since Goodfellow had arrived, their squadron had cheered up and gotten new life. It was as if, she'd brought something…magical with her.


	45. Chapter 45

**Author's Notes - Heheheheeee! I'm on a roll! Hopefully in the upcoming chapters things will be sorted out and explained, but if anyone wants anything specific to be clarified, please tell me ! ^.^**

* * *

Chapter forty-five.

Harry sighed as he entered the common room after Hermione's Sister's Wedding. Two new people resided within Hogwarts as replacements of Draco and Alice; Horace Slughorn, the new Potions Master of Hogwarts and Kylie Morton, a recent graduate of Saint Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries. For some reason, Morton would go all… fluttery around him. She would blink twice the normal amount whenever she saw him and was always touching him… Maybe she thought he had a couple of war injuries that were possibly giving him pain and wanted to help…? Eh. Whatever.

Harry was just glad that he didn't have to share a room with Slughorn, as the old coot's only condition for returning was to have his own personal rooms. But for some reason he was always in _his_ commons…

"Harry! How was it?" Morton asked cheerfully, jumping up from her place by the fire to (forcefully) take his outer dress robe.

"Oh, er, fine thanks." He answered, wondering why she wanted to hang his robe up. Even _he_ didn't like hanging his robe up. Too much fuss.

Morton bustled around him and began to brush invisible lint off his lapel as she tutted.

"Harry, you'll catch your death! Come sit by the fire and warm up!" She mothered him eagerly.

Maybe mothering's a Healer trait… No, Alice would've just gone; _"Hn. Its cold Potter, what the hell are you doing in only a single layer of clothing?"_

"_I've got a warming charm on…"_

"_So? I've got three warming charms, six pairs of socks, four layers of clothing and a duvet. AND I'm sitting next to the fire. It's still cold Potter."_

"_You're just weird."_

"_No, you are!__ What sort of delusional people wander around with only dress robes on in the middle of a very cold winter?"_

"_This is England. It is, as you say, cold all the time."_

"…_You Pommies are barmy." _She would then retreat back under the duvet with only the top of her fuzzy, colourful, beanie showing, a couple of dragons breathing fire knitted into it…probably to help with the warmth. And Harry would wander over to the spot next to her by the fire. And she'd go, _"(sigh) Potter, did you want some doona? There's plenty of space."_

"_Thanks Fletcher."_ And she would grudgingly open up and give a bit of her warm space for someone else in the cold.

Harry found himself smiling goofily at the imaginary conversation, but broke out of it when he heard talking. Morton was blushing pink as Slughorn chuckled.

"Hm – What?"

"Harry m' boy! I was just saying how like a married couple you two are! Greeting each other so affectionately when you come back… making sure the other is well… And Kylie, you look so like Lily! Top of your class too, I'm sure! You remind me of her! And going from your father Harry, Potters like their redheads! …Are you sure you two aren't in a secret relationship?" he asked winking, as Morton giggled and glanced _meaningfully_ towards Harry.

"Ah… If there is one, I've not known of it. Well… g'night, I'm gonna hit the sack." He said deadpan and walked past a suddenly quiet old Potions Master and Under-experienced Healer-to-be.

* * *

Hermione sighed as she cleaned up after all the guests had gone. Emily and Nathan had…gone off… to start their honeymoon, her Mum and Dad had…similar ideas… and Nik, well, he and his 'flavour of the month' have been going strong for two years now. They were probably doing pretty much the same thing.

It was always funny, Hermione mused, how Nik would introduce his girlfriend every time the family got together as his 'flavour of the month' and tell everyone not to get too attached to her, as there'd be a different girl soon. He'd get wacked over the head as Nicole would reply with the fact that when _she_ dumps _him_, she'd be going straight into the arms of Hermione.

This was usually followed by a salacious smile in Hermione's direction as the two girls pretended to flirt, while Nik would kick up a fuss, wrap his arms around her and declare that 'for the time being, she's MINE! Hermione can have her after, not while she's still with me, got it little sis?"

It was routine. A very funny routine, to be sure. And one Hermione always looked forward too.

She sighed and sat down limply on one of the abandoned chairs. But she doesn't want Nicole. She wants Draco…

Why does one day have to be so long?

* * *

"_Have you heard of the tale of Old Man Winkle?"_

_Alice was lying upside down on her bed, swinging her legs back and forth like a child, amused by the simplest gestures._

"_You mean Rip Van Winkle. Of course. He fell asleep and didn't wake up until a hundred years or so had passed, I think. The end."_

"_He was away with the faeries…"_

"_Away with the faeries?"_

"_Of course! He drank some of their wine and to compensate, he had to stay with them for a hundred years! Of course, usually you have to stay for all eternity, but still, he must've gotten someone else to do that for him… Maybe the faerie king fell in love with a mortal and so Old Man Winkle convinced the girl to be the faerie king's bride… I'm pretty sure a couple of my cousins are in America…They might be able to help with straightening - "_

"_Alice, you sound like Luna."_

"…_Well, maybe Luna sounds like me. Besides I like Luna."_

"_So do I, Alice. But still, 'away with the faeries'? That's what my Mum would say when she'd catch me not studying."_

"…_It could happen."_

* * *

"If Draco's gone a hundred years, I'll – I'll - "

"You'll do what? Bury me under the patio?"

Hermione gasped and whirled around, knocking the chair over in the process.

"Draco! – You missed the wedding!"

"…That's it?" he looked slightly disappointed.

"And you were gone for two months! How could you do that?"

"Two months… Well, that's not too bad…"

Hermione stormed up to him and wacked him over the head, "Draco! And Alice is - " her face paled with dread.

He shook his head solemnly.

"We tracked down Cobweb. She was hiding with her mother. 'Under our very noses,' so to speak. No-one thought to look there at first, simply because it was so obvious. When we found her, Oberon and Titania banished her too.

'Boy was she cursing the very ground we stood on! …Literally. We were stuck in a bog for a bit, trying to get away.

'But, I couldn't make head or tail of her memories. Faes are so much harder to read than Muggles or other Magical Folk. And even though Titania and Oberon probably know where she is, they won't tell me."

"But – But she's their Granddaughter!"

"They're Fae, they live by different rules and sets of moral codes and conducts. But, from what I can deduce, she's alive and Aboveground."

Hermione sighed and hung her head. She walked the couple of steps separating them and hugged him gently.

"I missed you so much."


	46. Chapter 46

**Author's Note - ** Now, I decided to tell Alice's Point of View for that battle scene in which Harry and her first meet... I do believe that this type of story telling, though, is called a 'Song Fic'. The song I used is called **"And the Band Played Waltzing Matilda",** it is a famous Australian song sung on Anzac Day and references the Australian song **"Waltzing Matilda". **

**"Waltzing Matilda"** is Australian slang for travelling by foot with all your possessions in your swag (a.k.a 'Matilda' or 'a bag'). A swag is called 'Matilda' because a swagman often travels alone, leaving his swag as his only companion, thereby personifying it as a woman. And waltzing is simply just travelling from town to town and working whenever it's needed, honing your skills and learning new things.

If you have any other questions, don't hesitate to ask! And if you want anything clarified, ask and I'll put it in the story clearer... Sound good? ^.^

(And yes, I'm procrastinating -.-")

* * *

**Now when I was a young man, I carried me pack, and I lived the free life of a rover…**

_Alice laughed good-humouredly with her old school friends at the attempts a handsome German backpacker made to speak English. _

_They had just graduated and were backpacking around Australia; working for the various farms they stayed at for bed and board, and had met so many characters along the way. They were currently picking fruit for a lovely old couple along with the handsome German and a charming young woman from Singapore._

**From the Murray's green basin to the dusty outback, well, I waltzed my Matilda all over.**

_Alice's arm lazily hung out the window of the kombi van as the red dust of the desert kicked up around them. It was her turn to drive the temperamental muggle machine for the next stretch to Uluru and Kakadu National Park and the day was hot. Her other mates were either asleep in the back or gazing silently out the window at the wide and never-ending red of the desert and blue of the sky._

**Then in 1915, my country said son, it's time you stopped rambling, there's work to be done.**

_There were whispers going around of Pureblood uprising happening in England and that the Australian and New Zealand soldiers would be sent to help support their English counter-parts. Alice had always aspired to be a Healer and decided that she should do her part. Along with two other friends, who had sneaked out of the Academy that fateful night and gotten enrolled into the Air Force Cadets, the three of them would now be enrolling into the real Royal Australian Air Force._

**So they gave me a tin hat, and they gave me a gun, and they marched me away to the war.**

_It was the middle of the day when Alice, Louie and Matt's squadron had been called to duty in England. Both Alice and Matt had just been fully qualified as Healers, while Louie was working in Logistics; enjoying organising the Magical Sector of the Australian Armed Forces. Their entire squadron was made up of Wizarding folk, and as soon as they had all arrived in the Parade ground in their uniforms and with packs, they had been portkeyed into the darkness of the English night. The Order of the Phoenix and the English Aurors were gathered in the middle of a forest, quietly organising their attack when the ANZACs had arrived, adding more body fodder for their use._

**And the band played Waltzing Matilda, as the ship pulled away from the quay;**

**And amidst all the cheers, the flag-waving and tears, we sailed off for Gallipoli…**

_Louie placed a comforting hand on a trembling Alice. Louie had never been very good at dueling during school, but she had a confidence Alice wished she could have. Louie's free hand was clutched tightly around the medal her Grandfather had received for fighting in the Great War._

**And how well I remember that terrible day, how our blood stained the sand and the water**

**And of how in that hell that they called Suvla Bay, we were butchered like lambs at the slaughter.**

'_Matt is Healing back at camp, he'll be safe, Louie is with Watson, he'll keep her safe… Matt is Healing - ' Alice was chanting silently to herself as she ducked and dodged curses hurled her way and she retaliated fiercely. She had been using the same chant in her head ever since her squadron had been sent to help recover all the Death Eaters that had managed to escape and hide after the Battle of Hogwarts. After several months of finding and fighting, these were the last of Voldemort's followers. Moments later a tired cheer went up as the last one had been captured and Alice grinned as she looked around for Louie. A familiar shape was hunched over an old tree stump and was bleeding profusely. Ignoring the pain from the aftermath of several curses, Alice ran towards her best friend._

**Johnny Turk he was waiting, he'd primed himself well. **

**He shower'd us with bullets,**** And he rained us with shell. **

**And in five minutes flat, he'd blown us all to hell****…**

**Nearly blew us right back to Australia.**

_Alice and Matt stood side by side as they chanted spell after spell, trying to figure out what could possibly stop the horrible, profuse bleeding. Alice encouraging and comforting Louie punctured their soft chants, as Matt continued to concentrate, but tears were cultivating in his eyes. Alice longed to revert to her true Fae form to give her spells all her power, but knew now that even that wouldn't save her. Louie seemed to know that too, but was holding onto dear life, while Death pulled her away, kicking and screaming._

**But the band played Waltzing Matilda, when we stopped to bury our slain.**

**We buried ours, and the Turks buried theirs, then we started all over again.**

_Soon after Louie had died, Sister Marianne, a trainee Healer from Canada, came up to Alice. She asked softly if she knew any Healers that could help, as Matt was the only Healer in the tent and the others couldn't give any of theirs up. Matt looked relived when Alice insisted vehemently that she could help patch everyone up, even though she had just finished fighting. She needed something to keep her busy or she'd just fall apart crying. Sister Marianne floated over to a darkened corner of the tent where one of the exhausted soldiers sat, to inform him that he'd be attended to soon. Alice saw the way Sister Marianne's gaze always lingered on him as they worked, so she surmised that he must be handsomely dark and roguish. Sister Marianne had a different gaze for different boys; cute ones, handsome ones, dark and roguish ones… And according to Sister Marianne, if she could get a date with this soldier, she'd never let him go. Something told Alice that it had something more to do than looks… Maybe an old friend from school?_

**And those that were left, well we tried to survive, in that mad world of blood, death and fire,**

**And for ten weary weeks, I kept myself alive, though around me the corpses piled higher**

_Alice went from stretcher to stretcher, smiling the practiced smile of a Healer. If there was one rule to Healing in a war zone, it was to never, ever let that smile slip, because for some, that smile would be the last thing they'd ever see. As she tended to a soldier whose wounds would soon be healed, Matt called Alice over to another bed._

"_Can you look after this one? I'll look after the other boy." he asked and Alice agreed, surprised. She soon knew why he'd asked it though. The wizened man spoke with a Scottish lilt, but had been born and raised in New Zealand. _

**Then a big Turkish shell knocked me arse over head, and when I woke up in my hospital bed,**

**And saw what it had done, well I wished I was dead. Never knew there was worse things than dyin'.**

_The bloke had lost both his legs and was slowly dying, a large curse had ripped his stomach open and she could see the purple muscles of his intestines. As Alice hopelessly tended to him, he spoke quite clearly, as if in a daze and couldn't feel a thing._

"_I can still feel my legs you know, lassie."_

"_Yes…Phantom limbs."_

"_They mustn't be as bad as poltergeist limbs then." He chuckled grimly, amused at his own play on words, than sighed._

"_What part of New Zealand are you from?" he questioned her._

"_I'm from near Whanganui. Well actually a couple of kilometers North from there."_

_He chuckled and the acid from his stomach leaked from a small nick, but he barely paid any attention to it, as Alice quickly healed the small wound. His eyes were closing now, "I'm from the North Island too, near Rotorua. Y- you're an ANZAC, aren't you?"_

"_Yes I am." Alice made sure that her tone was always comforting and had a definite New Zealand lilt; the bloke wanted something that reminded him of home and that was something the Australian born and bred Matt couldn't do. _

**For I'll go no more waltzing Matilda, all around the green bush far and free****…**

**To hump tent and pegs, a man needs both legs - no more waltzing Matilda for me.**

**So they gathered the crippled, the wounded, the maimed, and they shipped us back home to Australia.**

**The legless, the armless, the blind, the insane, those proud wounded heroes of Suvla**

**And as our ship pulled into Circular Quay, I looked at the place where me legs used to be.**

**And thanked Christ there was nobody waiting for me, to grieve, to mourn, and to pity.**

"_Do you have a sweetheart back home? Someone who you're fighting for?"_

_Alice smiled gently, her eyes welling up a bit; the man's time was coming. "No, of course not, who'd want someone like me?"_

"_Ah, but you're such a sweet lass. So beautiful too."_

_Alice laughed, "Don't try buttering me up! I won't be able to sneak in a bit of chocolate for you in here anyway!"_

_The man couldn't even open his eyes any more, but he smiled none the less. "Aye, Lassie, you've got me there. But soon you're going to meet someone who you don't mind being buttered up by. Soon you're gonna meet your sweetheart…" he trailed off and Alice blushed._

"_What about you?" she questioned lightly; it was only a matter of time for him now._

"_I'll be meeting my wife soon. She'll meet me at the door with a hug and a kiss, and then we'll settle down for a spot of tea. Once I get back, we're retiring to New Zealand, so we can watch the Grandkids grow old together."_

"_Sounds lovely…"_

"_Please…sing a song."_

"_**But the band played Waltzing Matilda, as they carried us down the gangway.**_

_**But nobody cheered, they just stood and stared, then they turned all their faces away**_

_**And so now every April, I sit on me porch, and I watch the parades pass before me.**_

_**And I see my old comrades, how proudly they march, reviving old dreams of past glories**_

_**And the old men march slowly, old bones stiff and sore. They're tired old heroes from a forgotten war**_

_**And the young people ask, what are they marching for? And I ask myself the same question."**_

_Alice softly crooned a tune well known on ANZAC day. Matt had stilled briefly when he heard her, before returning to work, his ear cocked in her direction. The patients, while in a lot of pain, also stilled as they listened to the tale of a young free man, chosen to do the duty for his country and having to witness horrors that no one should ever have to. The song, for them, expressed not only their homesickness, but also the fear of their loved ones seeing them in such a horrible state._

"_**But the band plays Waltzing Matilda, and the old men still answer the call,**_

_**But as year follows year, more old men disappear. Someday no one will march there at all.**_

"_**Waltzing Matilda, Waltzing Matilda, who'll come a-waltzing Matilda with me?**_

_**And their ghosts may be heard as they march by that billabong, who'll come a-waltzing Matilda with me?"**_

_The man, Alice had never found out his name, died quietly as she sung the ballad. Although a song technically focusing on Australia, it sung of all ANZACs. He was levitated over to the tarp that waited to carry the dead away and Alice went on to the next patient, a young girl from India who was barely conscious and had had various curses placed on her since the beginning of the Last Battle. A nervous looking young South African man hovered by her bed until Alice shooed him away. _

_The practiced smile, heal until the patient could leave, than, follow the wooden path to the next bed, so as to avoid the muddy ground and repeat. Smile, heal… leave._

_Once they had managed to patch up everyone and had those with serious cases stay in the hospital beds, Alice noticed that the same soldier had been sitting in the dark corner, waiting to he seen to, had not yet moved. _

"_Come with me." She beckoned over to a free bed and eyed the young man before her, he held his arm awkwardly, couldn't straighten his leg and was currently hunched in badly concealed pain._

"_Has Sister Marianna seen you yet?"_

_He shook his head and Alice rolled up the trouser leg of his left side. She muttered a basic healing charm for it; well, basic for the Australian Aboriginals, the wound wasn't too dangerous. He had obviously picked up on the strange language and asked about it. Alice smiled brightly at him, for once not the practiced smile; he seemed so interested in the different style of magic and about her homelands of New Zealand and Australia, unlike some. She knew he dozed off soon after she started talking, but the pain he must've been holding in was immense… plus she was using a powerful anesthetic charm…_

_Later on, when Matt just finished his last patient, Alice approached him and gazed at him solemnly. Matt glanced up at her briefly, went back to what he was doing and then sharply looked at her again._

"_Oh Merlin, Alice… Did you? Why didn't you tell me you were hurt?" Matt scolded her as he hauled her into a nearby bed to treat her wounds and beckoned Sister Marianna over, but she knew he was still rattled after Louie's death and didn't want to have another close friend die on him. Especially as she had put off her own treatment for several long hours as she treated others that were wounded. He didn't listen to her sharp cries of pain as the salves and charms healed her; he needed her to live. _


	47. Chapter 47

Chapter Forty-seven.

"Goodfellow!"

"Leading Seaman?"

"You're needed to come with the group of Marine Biologists to 'that' small cove. You know the one?"

"Yeah Leading Seaman, sounds good. What time are we leaving?"

"Be ready at 0400 hours. Take off is at 0600 hours."

"Will do. Who else is on the crew?"

"We've got Malloy as Navigator, Keato as distance watch and I'll be co-piloting with the Captain."

"That's all?" Goodfellow looked surprised and O'Harrow grinned.

"Naw, just can't remember all – Attention on Deck!" O'Harrow and Goodfellow stood at attention, with O'Harrow saluting, as the Captain came out on deck and around them, other sailors did the same.

"Leading Seaman." He called out as he passed and went into a different cabin.

O'Harrow quirked a smile briefly at the young Captain's back.

"You like him." Goodfellow whispered. The official business was done, and with no one listening, they were free to drop protocol briefly.

She blushed and stuttered, "I – I – I do not!"

"You do."

"No!"

"Heh Heh. Yeah you do."

"Adriana Goodfellow!"

"There's nothing you can do about it. You like him and now you know I know."

"Shh! Fine! So, I think he's… fairly good-looking and… that he's a good leader… and - "

"You like him."

"Shut up!" The two girls giggled and chatted their way back to the offices below deck. The large ship barely moved in the bright blue sea, there was hardly a ripple of a wave and the sun shone brightly in the cloudless blue sky.

* * *

Hermione sighed as she doodled on the piece of paper. Around her, students scratched frantically at the mock exam papers she had given. They had all been given the required Anti-Cheating Quill, but she had subtly put up a ward that detected all Magical Use and was frequently used in China. It proved extremely useful when one sly student decided to test out an 'Accio' charm on a hidden Auto-Answer Quill and the ward had let off a high shrieking noise, as well as yelling something in Mandarin. It had scared the pants off all the kids and the guilty one had been quick to confess in order to get the ward to shut up.

Hermione and Kylie Morton's room was now filled with books on the spells, enchantments and hexes of different cultures and countries. The twins had also discovered the delights of those types of spells and were putting them to good use. In fact, they were now trading with joke shops in Russia and Japan and had never been happier.

Hermione glanced up at the timekeeper, just as it ran out of sand.

"Okay, class! That's time! Please leave your papers on my desk as you go out and have a nice supper!"

The class mumbled as they filed out, Hermione could hear several of them already lamenting their predicted failure and she sniggered quietly to herself.

Soon Hermione was alone in an empty classroom. She sighed as the candle flickered, gathered up the papers and left the room, waving her hand and extinguishing the candle's flame as she closed the door.

* * *

Friday nights. The one night of the week when Harry, Hermione, Draco, Blaise and Luna (and until recently, Ron and Padma… and Alice) all met for drinks in Dufftown. Of course, so many others came too, Neville and Hannah, Seamus and Dean and their pretty lasses too came by occasionally. Kylie Morton had been dropping hints that she should come with them on Friday as a 'bonding' session, so they had finally relented and allowed her to come. Harry regretted it almost instantly, the girl hung off his arm and giggled at everything he said.

Hermione hated her about as much as Harry, as while she laughed and giggled with Harry, she was also making goo-goo eyes at _her_ fiancé.

They sat at the crowded table, Hermione and Luna practically in their respective partner's laps, side by side, while Harry opted for the seat at the very end of the booth as to make a quick and convenient exit… (this wasn't just years of fighting for his life talking though…)

Blaise chatted amicably to Neville, over the loud noise, while Draco kept jibbing at an annoyed Harry. Bored, Hermione fiddled with the rim of her (third...fourth... well, it couldn't be fifth, right?) glass and leant over to chat with an equally quiet (and possibly drunk. It was hard to tell) Luna. Even though people surrounded her, it still felt too quiet.

"It feels like we're missing someone, right?" Luna asked softly and they both unwillingly looked at the seat Alice usually took, currently occupied by a Miss Kylie Morton.

"I – I can't believe… that its been two months since Draco got back…and still…"

"It seems like an impossible amount of time, don't you think?" Luna fiddled with a large polished stone that hung off her thin chain necklace.

"Completely impossible! I mean, before she came, I – well, I kept trying to, you know, get even with Draco - ' _heh heh, legendary stuff that, I think it's gonna be the talk of Hogwarts for decades to come!_ 'and then, when _she_ came, she joined in whole-heartedly! Even though they're…some sort of family, I guess."

"And now you feel like your will to go on with something so petty is an insurmountable odd against Alice and what she might've gone through?"

Alice had brought a new light of understanding. Before, Luna always got her way when it came to 'imaginary' creatures, but when the New Zealander showed up, she was suddenly called upon to double-research, check hypothesises and then go up against the other witch's experiences of a world that none else had touched.

Hermione groaned and put her head in her hands, around them, people chatted and went on with their lives.

"Well, at least, technically, we haven't had as much time to mourn as Amelia."

"How do you mean?"

"Australia is in the part of the world that rises first with the sun. The sun reaches us nine hours after them... well something like that... so Amelia has been mourning for Alice nine hours longer than us." Hermione reasoned, desperate to turn off all emotions.

Luna paused and cocked her head, "Hermione, do you know what Amelia's last name is?"

"Uh, Fletcher, wasn't it?"

"Uh huh, but, Amelia's married, right?"

"…Yeah?"

"So, why did Alice have Amelia's last name, instead of her father's name; Goodfellow?"

Hermione paused in raising her glass to her lips, "Luna, you're a genius!"

She blinked, "I am?"

"Yes! I'm pretty sure I just had an epiphany, but for the life of me I can't remember what!" She cried enthusiastically, about to slam the glass down onto the table. Draco's hand caught hers before it could get to the table. Note to self; forget slinky red dresses, yelling and waving a glass full of wine attracts your fiance's attention.

"'Mione, are you sloshed?"

"No, just pissed!" She said cheerfully. Hermione, to the amusement of everyone, was a _very_ happy drunk. Luna chuckled and then turned her attention to Blaise and Neville when Draco's hand captured Hermione's face.

"Really? That's too bad, I don't kiss and tell to drunks."

"I'm not that bad right now…' she whispered loudly, her eyes sparkling in amusement, '…so, what did you want to tell me?"

"I never knew you were a gossip hound, 'Mione."

"Only when I'm drunk!"

"How about I give you a kis - "

"Nah, You said you'd tell me something, so you have to!"

"I said I don't tell to drunks."

"I'm tipsy, not drunk, there's a difference!" she cried indignantly.

Draco chuckled and caressed her face softly as he leaned in and whispered gently into her ear, making her shiver as his breath tickled against her skin, "I always found it so ironic, that you, a person of high status in the Muggle world was a'Mud-Blood' in the Wizarding World and was teased by a 'Pureblood' of the Wizarding world, but yet that person was the 'Mub-Blood' of the Fae world…"

"Oh, Draco…" Hermione patted his hair as he leant his forehead against hers.

"I'm a failure 'Mione, how can I call her family when I'm sitting here, drinking the night away, when she could be Circe knows where?"

"Draco, no matter what, Alice's here. Maybe… she was just a figment of our imagination…someone to open our minds up to a world bigger and more amazing than we ever thought possible."

"Yes, I suppose so."


	48. Chapter 48

**Author's Note - Heh heh, yeah... *scratches back of head nervously* Sorry for not posting anything sooner... I kinda had a large amount of assignments and essays to do... so that meant a lot of writing... And if you do a lot of something you kinda get sick of it... right? Or is it just me? Anyway! I hope this makes things murkier for you lot! ^.^**

* * *

Chapter Forty-eight.

Hannah groaned, "Ugh, where am I?"

"Shadd-up." A voice mumbled from her right. Curious, she poked the large bundle of hair to find it belonging to Hermione. Huh.

"Whys it so bwight - ?" an indistinct voice slurred from her left. Luna. Curiouser and Curiouser.

Hannah sat up and grabbed her head as the world swirled. "I am never drinking again!"

"You say that every Friday night!" Hermione almost cried.

"Herminny! Gez ze Depper-up Dotionnnnn…!" Luna moaned, her face buried under Hermione's sole pillow.

"Why me?"

"It's your turn this week."

Hermione groaned and mumbled and stumbled out of bed successfully onto the landing, unsteadily making her way to the bathroom. Suddenly a knock echoed around the room. Clutching her head, Hermione fell down the stairs and dragged herself to the Common's door. Pulling it open she said sleepily, "Mh…Yeah? Whaddya want?"

"Ah Professor Gran – Professor? Are you all right Professor?" Little Tita looked up at her innocently, her eyes huge under her glasses. Hermione blinked and leaned right into her face, studying her intently.

'Uh, Professor?" Tita watched her warily.

"Professor Trelawney? Why are you so short?" Hermione cocked her head to the side, confused.

Tita looked at her shocked, "Professor Granger… Are you _drunk?"_

Hermione shook her head, "I'm pretty sure I'm supposed to be hung-over… but I might'nt've gotten enough sleep yet…" she drawled and blinked lazily.

Tita delicately held out a couple of sheets of paper, "Well, you said you wanted a draft on Monday, but I thought I should get it to you early… You know, beat the rush."

Hermione nodded slowly, "Okay Professor Trelawney."

"N- No, it's Tita. TI-TA!"

"Gwap! When did you learn how to pronounce names? Wait – Is that you Viktor?"

"Good bye Professor… I hope you have a Pepper-up Potion somewhere…"

Hermione blinked and then turned, "Right… Depper-up… Dotions… that's what Luna calls 'em…" and slowly stumbled back up the stairs.

Later, when everyone had finally figured out where Hermione had hidden the Pepper-up Potions (she had done this before hand as punishment of anyone who'd get a hang-over… she didn't think she'd get one too…) she'd blushed something chronic as she thought over and over the conversation she'd had with Tita that morning. Any epiphanies she or Luna had had the previous night had disappeared completely with the hang-over… and drunkenness.

* * *

A couple of months later, Luna sat at Hermione's table and absent-mindedly fiddled with the polished stone hanging around her neck. Hermione smiled brightly and bustled into the room carrying two cups of tea, it was a short school holiday and so Hermione had gotten the time off to relax at home.

"Here you go Luna,' She said and handed the cup to her. She settled herself beside the girl, blew on her tea and nodded towards the stone, 'What's that for?"

Luna looked at it thoughtfully, "One of Alice's relatives gave it to me for Christmas… well, actually, I'm not sure if it was a relative or not, he was some old Chinese guy, but he gave me this and a map with some spell on it, and he told me to use it if I ever needed to find someone."

Hermione frowned, puzzling over this new situation. "So… You think that maybe we could find Alice with it?"

"I'm not sure if it works on spirits, but it's worth a try!" Luna said brightly.

Hermione forced a smile over her sinking heart, "Yeah. Worth a try."

The two girls bent over the large yellowed map of the world as Luna solemnly held the pendant over it. Sea Serpents slipped in and out of view and mermaids combing their hair decorated the page. One brightly coloured serpent rose from the waters again and blinked a sapphire blue eye, like that of a fish, at them, before disappearing into the deep, drawn depths.

Luna started to softly mumble the chant and swung the pendant lightly over the page. Hermione held her breath, according to the instructions the chant must be said five times and then the pendant has to be dropped. Wherever it lands is where that person is.

Luna had just finished her third chant and was beginning her fourth when there was a burst of blue flames in the fireplace. A Patronus Ageha butterfly danced from its depths and Hermione darted towards it, careful not to disturb Luna.

_Amelia's Patronus… So that means…_

"Hermione! Alice has been found! She's at the Sydney Magical Hospital, but she has very severe amnesia. So, it'd be best if no one from England sees her until she can remember you. Otherwise, she might create false memories, and those are tricky to deal with. I'm sorry that I have to give you such bad news with such good tidings, but hopefully you'll be able to continue on with your life without fearing for her life! Good bye for now, Herms! I'll contact you if she ever remembers. Make sure Draco doesn't come (and I know he'll try), because that definitely won't help her."

"Luna! Luna! Alice is safe! She's in Sydney!"

Luna looked up and grinned beautifully just as she dropped the pendant, not even bothering to look at where it landed. "That's brilliant!"

"Quick, we have to tell everyone!" Hermione grabbed her coat and rushed out the door, closely followed by Luna, her mulberry and tomato earrings swinging.

The pendant sat innocently on an island in the middle of the Pacific Ocean.


	49. Chapter 49

**Author's Note - G'day all! Uh, yeah, sorry for the really late update... Lot's going on, you know how it is! Hopefully no one's completely forgotten about this story! ^.^**

* * *

Chapter Forty-nine.

It was only natural.

They had all been on this island for several months, looking after the local population after they had ended a centuries long feud.

This meant their only reason for being there was to make sure that they didn't start fighting again.

So it was only a natural inevitability.

"So, what'll happen?"

"Well, if anyone asks, more fuel equals a faster burn. It's only logical."

It was rubbish burning day. At the Far East of their camp the Australian and New Zealand Military had dug a huge pit that they tipped their rubbish into, 3 meters by 3 meters and 2 meters deep and once a week someone was selected to burn all the rubbish, so the pile (and smell) was reduced. Once the burnt rubbish was beginning to near the top, dirt was piled on top of it and another trench was dug. Chucking the rubbish into the pit was (obviously) no one's favourite job.

To burn all this rubbish some one would (well, should) pour a litre of diesel on top of everything in there, then ignite it. The burning rubbish would then be supervised until all of it had been burned away, which would take a couple of boring hours …

"Therefore if fuel was represented as x, the period of burning as y and pyrotechnics as z, than,' figures were drawn into the hard dirt,

x = y + z…

'Therefore!'

2x = 2y + 2z

'And Yay! Bigger Boom!"

O'Harrow glared, "Goodfellow, only you would use High School maths as a way to make things blow up bigger. And even then I'm sure you've gotten it wrong."

Goodfellow chuckled and scratched the back of her head, "Well, I slept through most of my maths lessons…"

"And you still passed?"

"You know, that used to amaze my friend as well. She'd study hard, I wouldn't, yet I'd still get better marks! ...At least, I think that's what happened…"

O'Harrow looked impressed, "So what? You're a genius that gets stuff wrong all the time?"

"Nah, she was just really bad at maths!"

O'Harrow looked at the equation again, "So, according to this, the burning time'll be longer?"

"No, it'll be doubly quicker!"

"Hmm…Okay…"

It really didn't take much convincing, after all, it was only natural, and every criminal needs the perfect accomplice.

"Hey Goodfellow?"

"Eh?"

"If your life was a story, what would you call it?"

A pause than, "… Awesome Pyrotechnics!"

"By Jove, what sort of doctor are you?"

She laughed evilly, "An excellent one! That's why I know the exact measurement that can bring a human being to the brink of death, but not quite kill 'im."

O'Harrow let out a breath of air and made a common European gesture of worry, waving her hand up and down against her shirt, very fast as if polishing her fingernails.

"Should I trust you?"

"Absolutely! This requires precision!"

Whistling, Goodfellow siphoned a huge amount of diesel from one of the large barrels that lay beside the basic covering for their vehicles into a metal container, then went to another for a bit of petrol.

"Petrol…?" O'Harrow questioned warily.

"To make it ignite faster."

"Oh."

The two hauled the loads of fuel over to the pit, carefully making sure the Captain wouldn't spot them as the made their way past their camp and the dunny.

"Right, you said we needed to be precis – Goodfellow! What happened to precision?"

Goodfellow cheerfully and liberally poured the fuel over the rubbish.

"Hey, you should be grateful I'm helping you with this!" Goodfellow stated.

It was true, technically it was O'Harrow's turn to burn the rubbish. Shrugging the two of them carefully poured the fuel into the pit.

When the fumes were thick enough to see, the two of them dashed to a fallen log and hid behind it. Goodfellow pulled an old rag from her pocket and found a large rock. As she was swiftly tying it to it, O'Harrow dipped the end of the rag into some petrol.

Their self made Rubbish-Tip-Igniting-Device was then lit, Goodfellow cocked her arm back, gave O'Harrow one last quirky grin and then threw it the fifty meters into the heavily fumed pit.

It was a beautifully still day when an almost perfect mushroom cloud of smoke came from the rubbish pit. The large _whoosh_ of displaced air vibrated around the immediate vicinity and Goodfellow and O'Harrow were pushed off their feet at their mere force of the heat wave. The heat was immense, but the two quickly jumped to their feet and raced to the edge of the pit. A merry fire was now quietly crackling away and if anyone happened to come by to check if a bomb had been set off or rebels were attacking because of the noise (and mushroom cloud), all they would see would be two Navy Officers quietly supervising the rubbish burning…

"That…"

" – Was perfect. Wanna do it again?" Goodfellow grinned despite the heat and O'Harrow shook her head in amusement, suddenly she gasped.

"What is it, O'Harrow?" Goodfellow asked absently, her cheeks were flushed red and her eyebrows were funny looking.

"Shit, we burnt down the dunny."

The dunny was basically a drop pit with a bottomless stool over the hole, but it had flimsy walls made from nearby palm leaves to provide a bit of privacy. There was now a half-collapsed seat, with burnt leaves around it.

"…How are we gonna explain that?"

"It was the faeries.' Goodfellow said firmly, bending down with a large stick to poke the burning rubbish. O'Harrow suddenly paled, 'O'Harrow? You alright? - "

"You mean you two were off with the Faeries?" a stern voice came from behind them.

"Hey Sir – heh heh…"

"Next time, I'll show you how to _really_ burn rubbish." The Captain grinned and O'Harrow blushed, while Goodfellow bounced in excitement.

"Are you sure you'll be able to top this, Sir?"

"Yeah, no probs! Just, ah… don't let the Commodore know about it…"

"And vice versa, Sir. Deal, Sir?"

"Deal." The two shook hands and O'Harrow blinked.

"Wait, what did you two just agree on? Sir?"

"O'Harrow, you're sworn to secrecy too." The Captain pointed at her, winked and then started heading back to their camp.

"The secret of what? Goodfellow, what did you do?"

"Oh, the Captain said that it was time for my Psych interview! See ya!" Goodfellow bounced to the Captain's side and started talking animatedly, probably about fire…

"How did this happen?" O'Harrow mumbled to herself as she poked the fire miserably and once again doubted the validity of Goodfellow's equation.

The Royal Australian Navy had gotten the RAAF to fly in one of their doctors to do a Psychology test on all the members that were on the island. To be isolated from civilisation and your friends and family for a couple of months at a time can sometimes make people go spare, so just in case, a doctor'd come in to check up on them.

Goodfellow rushed into the doctor's 'office' (tent), eyebrows burnt off and her clothes giving off a distinct smell of burning rubbish. Her hair was hastily pinned up into a bun and she was running late as she burst through the tent. The tall doctor turned around, his eyes never leaving the clipboard and his bushy eyebrows danced in amusement.

"I'm so sorry! I - " The doctor's head shot up in shock.

"Fletcher? Is that you?"

"Ma… Do I know you? Wait, my name… isn't…Fletcher… Is it?' Goodfellow shook her head, 'Nah, it's not Fletcher. I may have lost most of my memories, but I definitely had a dog tag on that said 'Goodfellow'. Sorry doctor."

The doctor looked at her thoughtfully, 'You're right, sorry Goodfellow, trick of the light. Now, how do you feel you have settled these past few months?" And with that, the Psych interview continued as normal.

An hour later, the doctor gave one final glance over the finished sheet, "Okay Goodfellow, you're in the clear. You have a perfectly sane mind! Unless, of course, you've blown something up. That's always a good indication of insanity."

Goodfellow paled considerablely, "Uh… No Doctor…' she coughed suddenly and scratched the back of her neck, 'No pyrotechnics have happened lately here…"

"So that mushroom cloud…?"

"The weather formations here are most irregular and conform to the up drafts and South-Easternlies much more consistently than most areas of the world."

One word (or two, depending on how you look at it) described how Goodfellow got out of that mess. With a lot of _Bullshiiiiting!_

As she made her escape through the tent flap, the doctor shook his head.

"Cobweb, Cobweb, Cobweb… You'll have to do better than that.' Louder he called out, "Goodfellow! Get the next person in here!"

"Gotcha Doctor!"

"So…"

"Oh hush!"

"I take it you're not burning any more rubbish…"

"As if! Me and the Capt's got a bet going on now! You're helping me, by the way, no matter what the Capt's said to you!"

"Hang on! Why am I dragged into this?"

"Because it was during your fire burning duty that it started. We have to be consistent."

O'Harrow just groaned and shoved her head under the pillow.

Goodfellow propped herself up with her elbow and peered into the darkness, "O'Harrow? Did you say something?"

"…Just go to sleep."

* * *

_Crystal balls floating…_

_A strange, white light substituted as the surroundings…_

_Nothing was real except for the brilliant blonde headed girl with bright blue wings._

"_Hermione? Hermione! Hermione, snap out of it!"_

"_Alice? Where am I?"_

_Alice's golden green eyes looked down at her distressed, "Hermione… Cobweb's swapped you for her."_

_Hermione frowned in confusion, "What?"_

"_Hermione! You're now a Changeling! It was harder for her to switch me and herself because I'm a Sidhe, but as you're a mortal, BAM! it's simple!"_

_Hermione paled, "Alice… ALICE! Oh my gosh, Alice! I thought we'd lost you!"_

_Alice smiled in pain, "Hermione… I'm trapped in a half existence. I can only be here when I'm asleep.' She sighed, 'When I'm asleep, my mind becomes trapped in these wretched crystals and I remember everything. As soon as my body wakes itself, I forget everything… It's so frustrating!"_

"_Trapped…?" Hermione looked around, Alice hung in mid air, suspended within a small crystal. Light dawned on her and Hermione looked down. She was trapped in a crystal too…_

_Hermione glanced up at Alice suddenly, distressed, "Alice… I'm getting married. I… Now Draco's going to marry that stupid Fae!"_

_Alice opened her mouth up to speak, but instead of words, a choking noise came out, her eyes rolled into the back of her head and she collapsed, her bright blue wings fading in colour and looking almost wilted. Her pale skin lost what little colour it had in the first place and her long blonde hair, that Hermione had only ever seen tied up in a messy bun within the year that she had known her, was now loose and pooled around her like blood. Hermione's heart skipped a beat, if Alice's body died while she was asleep, did that mean her mind would stay, dead, within that crystal forever? But… she was Alice… Alice couldn't just die like that…_

"_Alice? ALICE!"_


	50. Chapter 50

**Author's Note - Just for reference, Fae or Fey are also known as Sidhe. **

* * *

Chapter Fifty.

Hermione stared in horror at the lifeless body of her newly reunited friend, slumped, in the crystal next to her.

"Oh, sweet Merlin… Alice…"

Was she going to die here too? Was there any oxygen within these fragile walls? Carbon Dioxide inhalation poisoning. What a way to go.

Hermione's fast paced brain began to race; various facts dashed through her head, ideas, notions, possibilities…

_Alice was in here months before I was so there must be some sort of oxygen supply…_

_But she just collapsed, if it were carbon dioxide poisoning she would've shown more symptoms…_

Hermione gave an experimental flick of her wrist. Niente di speciale. _Right, obvious. A magical suppression barrier, just like that one that Fae, Cobweb, had circled around Alice at her Aunt's farm…_

_If I were able to break this crystal… but I can't, or there is a reason I shouldn't, otherwise Alice would've done so already…_

A strange tongue resounded throughout the walls of her strange prison, echoed within the strange music. Outside a party must be going on, laughter and cheer had been heard ever since Hermione had gotten there.

_Damnit! I knew Alice was a Fae and Draco was at least half-Fae… Why the Dickens didn't I learn Celtic?_

Hermione started to scold herself, if she'd taught herself Celtic, than maybe she'd be able to understand the small runes scratched onto the base of the crystal. They looked like the runes she'd had to learn in her Anicent Runes class in Hogwarts, but if she translated them properly, they made absolutely no sense… which've must've been the reason behind Luna's nonsensical ramblings and Alice's amusement at her decipherings.

After all, if Hermione deciphered it properly, it read: _Monkey's Bum._

Definitely a Sidhe spell, Hermione concluded as she gently traced the odd figures.

Where was Draco now? Does he know that the person he is with isn't her?

She gasped and looked up when she heard a groan from the crystal beside her.

Alice got up, clutching her head.

Hermione's face, unsurprisingly, paled, "Alice…? Wha-? You were dead!"

Alice glanced at her, confused, "No, I just woke up. You know, in the Aboveground."

Hermione shook her head and muttered, "This is the last time I take a leaf out of the boy's books and don't research something thoroughly before hand."

She sighed and looked up, dismayed at the amused looking Alice and said three little words that, single handedly, could've knocked down The Boy-Who-Lived-To-Be-The-Man-Who-Defeated, his Best Mate, the biggest Pureblooded Prat to ever walk the Earth and all the Professors in Hogwarts, _including_ Dumbledore.

"I don't understand."

"Well, you know how I told you that time passes differently between the Aboveground and the Underground?"

Hermione whacked her head, "How could I be this stupid? Of course! So, every time you wake in the real world, you're dragged from this world, regardless of whether the night is up down here!"

Alice nodded, "Sometimes one can go a whole month down here and barely a minute passes Aboveground."

"So, where are you now Alice? Last thing I remember was your sister's patronus coming, than I woke up here. Luna was going to do this searching thing with this stone and map she got from your… Uncle, was it?... and try to find you that way, but I never found out what it was."

Alice perked and pressed her hands against the crystal wall, staring intently at Hermione.

"Granger, this is incredibly important. Can you describe what my sister's patronus was?"

Hermione stuttered, "W-Well, it was a Swallowtail Butterfly, also known as an Ageha butterfly-"

"'Mione, do you know the difference between a Swallowtail Butterfly and a Swallowtail moth?"

"Well, of course it'd be… no. Not really."

"Was it a large butterfly with a yellow butt?"

"I don't know! All patronuses are blue!" Hermione groaned.

"Hermione, the Ageha Modoki is a moth that disguises itself as an Ageha Butterfly. If what you saw was the Ageha Modoki, than it wasn't a patronus, but was what swapped you around and transported you here."

Hermione's eyes widened, "Jiminy Cricket! By Jove Alice, you're onto something! So if I see it again-"

"You won't."

"What?"

"You won't see it again. You've served your purpose, nothing is going to come save you now." Alice sighed, sat back coolly and stretched her legs as Hermione spluttered.

"A-Alice? What are you going on about?"

"I'm going to be trapped in here for the rest of my natural life Aboveground. I suspect the only reason you're not dead is just to keep me company and vex me for the sake that every time I wake, I will get the feeling I have something important to say and do, which is free you, but will never be able to remember, until I fall asleep and arrive here again. How troublesome."

Hermione looked at Alice, shocked. This cheerful girl could suddenly turn cold?

Speaking of cold, Alice turned her now hard eyes towards Hermione.

"I am a part of this Fae Court. A part of our nature is to be contradictory. Didn't you know that?" Instead of a question, it was definitely a statement and Hermione suddenly saw the hurt that was concealed.

"Alice…"

"My Grandparents didn't care, did they?" Again, another statement.

"Did you know, Hermione? That since I came here, it's only been an hour, but several months have passed Aboveground. My parents are still recovering."

"So it's taken them, how many years? To recover?"

Alice sighed, "Too many. Sorry Hermione I-"

Alice collapsed again and Hermione waited in solemn silence for her to return.

* * *

"NO! I want a bigger train! This has to be the Wedding of the Century!" Hermione shrieked at the terrified dressmaker.

"Y-Yes Ma'am."

Luna turned dreamily to Hannah, and not bothering to lower her voice, said, "Do you think Hermione's turned into a Changeling like Alice did? Or do you think it's just her time of the month?"

Hermione's face turned red.

* * *

Harry and Draco sat solemnly at the bar of a busy pub.

"Do you think-?"

"Yep."

"How?"

"I've known her for ages, and she never breaks promises. So how come I'm your Best Man and not her Maid of Honour?"

"You really want to get into a dress that bad?"

"Not really. I just thought anything'd be better than having to wear a tux again. Ron's wedding was hell. Tux's itch like crazy!"

"Fair 'nough."

"What brought this up-?"

Draco silently handed Harry a telegram from-

"Australia? But I though Alice was in hospital? Did something bad happen?"

"Nah, one of her old mates saw her. She has complete amnesia, but the sort that can be reversed with a jolt from her past. It nearly returned when she saw Matthew, but it wasn't a big enough shock."

"So…why are we invited to an Aztek Ceremony?"

"Anzac. Anzac Ceremony. It happens once a year and Alice is currently on a Navy ship. They're docking for the ceremony, so this may be the only chance we get. Get it?"

"Got it."

"Good."

* * *

Hermione traced the strange symbols on the bottom of her crystal cage as Alice came round for the fifth time since she'd gotten there.

"Say Alice? These runes? Are they the spell that keeps us in here?"

Alice frowned and looked around for a bit, "Where? What runes?"

"The ones underneath us."

Alice's frown deepened as she lifted up her skirt and squinted down on the spot near where she was kneeling. Suddenly she laughed.

"Yeah, 'Mione, I guess you could say that, in a certain context at least."

"So… what does it say? I'm guessing _not_ Monkey's Bum."

"It means-"

"Yeah?"

"Well, it means - **Made in China.**"


	51. Chapter 51

Chapter Fifty one.

The heavy magnificent building of the cloud that shrouded London threw shades of grew on the streets. The crowds wove seamlessly around a stationary and vibrantly coloured character waiting patiently outside the gates surrounding London's Eye.

The tall man cocked his head interestedly as he watched the huge Ferris wheel slowly move around and waited patiently for **them** to arrive.

Draco and Harry walked close together as they searched the crowds beadily for suspicious behaviour, Draco's eye caught a small glimpse of colour and turned just as an obscenely coloured coat disappeared from his view. Hurriedly tugging on Harry's arm the two took off after the splash of colour on the grey landscape.

Every now and then they caught an almost full glimpse of the man they were tailing. His coat was colourfully dyed and even though it was spring, he wore several layers, a scarf and beanie. The colourful coat would've indicated a wizard, except for the layers. The layers of various mismatching clothing indicated 'tourist from a warmer climate', the colourful coat was obviously something borrowed, so the tourist wouldn't be staying for long, but the way his step would somehow _float_ indicated their initial response, that this man was a wizard. So, a touring wizard from a Southern climate meant maybe his country was lax with mixing magic with muggles. That just wouldn't do in England, especially in London where so many muggles resided.

Of course, being Hogwarts teachers, Harry and Draco usually didn't go patrolling the London area for wayward witches and wizards, but when one gets a random message saying, _I'm coming. 20/4. London._ Well, obviously something's out of the ordinary.

The man disappeared around the corner and onto Westminister Bridge.

"Where is he going?" Draco muttered.

The followed him until he got to the Houses of Parliament.

"Maybe he's… sightseeing?" Harry offered.

Draco just gave him a _look_ and Harry shrugged helplessly.

The man and his colourful coat found his way high up into the clock tower, once again disappearing into the crowd of tourists.

Harry and Draco discreetly looked for him, searching through the milling people; suddenly Harry spotted him.

"There!"

The two took after him determined not to lose the man this time. Following him, they came across the giant clock face of the tower with surprisingly no tourists in sight.

Only the man in the colourful coat.

Facing them.

Expectantly.

They soon found out why no one else was there. Big Ben began chiming and Harry and Draco heard the excited exclamations of the tourists surrounding it.

If Harry and Draco thought they would be able to make out the face of the man now, they were mistaken. The man's face was shrouded in shadow cast by the dark clouds outside the clock face and he strode menacingly towards them.

Harry mentally cursed that there were so many muggles nearby.

Draco just slid his wand from out of his sleeve regardless and smirked.

"Careful, if the wind changes, your face will be stuck like that forever." The man in the colourful coat chuckled, his deep voice resonated through their bodies over the chimes of Big Ben.

On Big Ben's last chime, something unexpected happened.

Draco and Harry were frozen. They couldn't move a muscle. And they were suddenly sucked into a whirling black hole.

* * *

When Harry could finally blink away the darkness, bright, white light, flooded his vision.

* * *

Goodfellow and O'Harrow laughed as they went through their hotel room door after they were finally allowed to leave the ship.

Goodfellow's knees buckled, "My Goodness! I swear, I hate it every time we go on land after being at sea!"

O'Harrow walked around proudly, "Don't worry, its not just you… The Captain does that too."

Goodfellow grinned and said good naturedly, "Stalker."

"Fan girl."

"Grapeist."

"Rap- Wait, Grapeist?"

"Remember, I showed you that Youtube video…?"

O'Harrow laughed, "Yeah, but I'm not wearing any purple."

Goodfellow smiled evilly, "Not yet you're not!"

The two girls laughed and a vicious game of 'Paper, Scissors, Rock' was played, with the winner getting the window side bed.

* * *

Draco opened his eyes blearily and groaned.

"Are you alright, mate?" A strange voice asked. Draco blinked and realised, as his vision shifted into order, that it was the man in the colourful coat.

"Wha-?" He sat up and looked around. Beside him Harry was ruffling his hair wearily and with a shock Draco realised where he was.

The Australian International Apparation Port in Sydney.

The man in the colourful coat was cheerfully stripping off his many layers of clothing, "Sorry about that mates, I thought that you knew we were apparating to Australia."

"How the bloody hell were we supposed to know? We got a suspicious note saying that someone is coming to London on the 20th of October and that was it!" Draco raged.

The man, now down to a white singlet, and a pair of loose, dirty pants frowned while he took off his shoes. "Seriously? Ugh, I'm going to kill Steve! That mongrel was supposed to send you lot a note with more details than that!"

Harry stared at him, slightly dazed, "I'm sorry, but… Who are you?"

The bright light of the port building shone down on the man who no longer looked menacing. In place of the previously suspicious character, a tall, cheerful man now stood.

"Sorry mate! I'm Matt, Matt Gonzalo. I joined the Australian Magical sector of the Defence Force for a doctorate at the same time as Alice."

Matt was a tall, wiry man with his hair shaved close to his head, which was in stark contrast to his big bushy eyebrows that rested comically over bright brown eyes.

"And we are here because…?"

He smiled easily, "I found Alice. You know how all the Faes are competing to become the next Heir? If Alice is returned to her Fae form she'll become the Heir again, so her magical side has been locked away, along with all her memories. She was placed in a roadside bombing and Cobweb sorted out an entire supposed past life for her that mirrors her real one closely, but leaves out important things. Like magic and anyone associated with magic. Which is everyone. And because the crown was left behind, they think _you're_ the Heir and so, well, they'll probably try to break you and Hermione up so that one of them can marry you." Matt finished with a big sigh.

Harry and Draco stared at him, "So… where's Alice now?" immediately dismissing the thought that anyone could get between Hermione and Draco.

"She now goes by her initial maiden name 'Goodfellow'. Fletcher is her sister's married name, but because Alice was practically raised by her, her name was changed. Although she does now have a weird first name… Adriana… I dunno where that came from…" Matt mused.

Hope flared in Harry's eyes, "Where is she now?"

"She's in the Navy. But all the Navy ships are docking and attending Anzac ceremonies this Wednesday. She's going to be in the Sydney parade, so that's why we're!" Matt looked excited and Harry wondered how he could have ever thought this man suspicious.

* * *

Ron sat scribbling furiously at his work desk when he heard the beginnings of Alice's hungry cry. He jumped up, startled from his project and turned to the doorway, only to hear her quietening down to Padma's gentle whispers.

He collapsed, exhausted, into his chair and ran his hands through his hair. A moment later Padma quietly came in with a softly cooing Alice.

"What are you still up?" She asked softly.

"I'm working on Hermione and Draco's wedding present."

Padma leaned over his shoulder to look. Baby Alice's tiny face looked surprised at the looming face of her father and she stared at him, her mouth slightly ajar as her dad smiled amusedly at her. Reaching up, Alice clasped a tiny fistful of Ron's red hair and held on tightly.

"I think Hermione'll love it. She'll have a field day filling that library you put in with books." Padma smiled and straightened up.

Ron gave a strangled squeak as the hair captured in Alice's tiny, but strong fist nearly came out by their roots.

* * *

Tita laid in the Head's Common room, chatting amicably with Milly as Andy idly worked on his Charms homework nearby.

A lull in the conversation urged Tita to say something that was really bothering her, "Do you think something weird is going on with the Professors?"

Milly froze and Andy glanced sharply up from his homework, "So you think so too?" Milly whispered.

"Well, yeah. Professor Granger set us a whole heap of uninteresting homework on the first day of school and then never talked to us for the rest of the week, only looking at bridal magazines. Professor Potter and Malfoy suddenly disappeared on the weekend and Headmistress McGonagall won't say a word about it. Not to mention that that Madam Morton who replaced Healer Fletcher is just way out of her depths here! She just can't improvise and substitute with the things that happen here! She's always crying on Madame Pompfrey's shoulder about how Professor Potter doesn't see her as a woman!" Tita frantically spoke.

Andy smirked and coughed, "Yeah, well, that's cos he only has eyes for Healer Fletcher. I see why though; did you know that I've learnt more about the history of magic talking to Healer Fletcher in that one day I was in the Hospital Wing, than in my entire schooling career spent in History of Magic?"

Tita stared at him through her huge round glasses, "How did that happen?"

Milly gaped at him, "You were in the hospit_al?_ Why didn't you tell me? I thought you were wagging!"

Andy's eyebrows rose in surprise, "Really? So that's why you ignored me for a week?"

Tita broke in, "Yeah, yeah, yeah, but what I want to know is how you got Healer Fletcher to talk for long enough in order for you to learn something like that!"

Milly nodded, "You're right, usually she doesn't say much. She's really nice and all, but she has such a 'don't come near… don't even _think _of coming near' aura."

"I suppose it's because she was in the Royal Australian Air Force? You know how they're so strict and everything."

"I heard she used to do undercover operations!" Milly enthused.

"Yeah, while being a muggle liason officer for the Prime Minister and the Minister of Magic of Australia and New Zealand!" Tita said excitedly, her eyes glittering.

Andy rose an eyebrow, "What if she was, I dunno, _shy_?"

The two girls looked at him and sighed.

"Andy, you're no fun." Milly stated.


	52. Chapter 52

**Author's Note – Hehe… yeah… um, sorry for the wait, but it was kinda hard to figure out how to describe several things in this chapter, like the ANZAC ceremony. That's because I have no idea as to whether it's like this in Sydney or not… and in case no one quite knows, the time line for this story is kind of around the 1950s/60s… but as I've thrown in some modern ideals, etc. I'm pretty sure this is just a mumble jumble of random parts of history now… Anyway, just so everyone knows, it just isn't set in _this_ time period… just putting it out there… And I've been having trouble getting all the formats right for this chapter, this thing just won't upload right! So that's why those who've subscribed might've gotten a few e-mails all about this chapter... Hehe, sorry...**

-

Chapter Fifty two.

The sheer enormity of the heat was immense, waves of it rolled off the pavement and into the thick crowd that had gathered for the Anzac Day Dawn service. The sun was barely touching the horizon, but Sydney's heat wave that had occurred during the past couple of days clearly affected the assembly.

The crowd shifted uncomfortably, but the noise never rose above a whisper, Draco stood, sweating, next to Harry, crushed near the back, hidden under the overhanging of the old fashioned stores lining the streets. The tall monument was already surrounded with poppies and wreathes. Small numbers of Sydney's Army, Navy and Air Force cadets surrounded the monument, solemnly placed as a barrier between the monument and the crowd.

The whispers grew and fluttered out in a swelling wave from the end of the street, before everyone suddenly fell silent. The sound of the drums rolled down the street and echoed around the sudden silence, even a stray dog near Draco had stopped his scratching and soft whining barks to sit solemnly, listening.

Unnerved by this, the two tourists waited for what spectacular show it was that had made the crowd gather so.

A small, formation of men with drums marched by, followed by Australian and New Zealand Naval Seamen and women. At first the faces blurred with each other, people of all different colours and races were mixed in, yet at first glance one could hardly tell from the other. Soon though, Harry spotted her.

"Alice! It's Alice! There, Draco!" Harry, luckily, had the decency to whisper.

Marching along solemnly, in the middle of her ranks and keeping perfect time, was Alice, her long blonde hair that was usually kept in a messy bun perched precariously on the top of her head was now pulled back tightly and neatly at the nape of her neck, the rest of her face hidden under the shadow of her slouch hat.

Shuffling through the midst of the tightly packed crowd Draco and Harry tried desperately to keep her in sight. Soon lost, they just followed the crowd after the rest of the parade had passed by: the units of the Royal Australian Air Force and Army was soon followed by fresh faced and excited cadets, all proud and amazed that they were in the same thing they had all watched since they were children.

Harry and Draco resigned themselves to the fact that they'd have to wait til after the whole ceremony had finished.

The sun slowly rose; it's light glimmering off the surface of the sea, caught between Sydney's high rise buildings.

Then, the ceremony started.

The crowd of citizens gathered around the ranks of the uniformed officers, keeping a respectful distance. Draco eyed the ambulance that was parked off to one side suspiciously. Did the ceremony get rowdy? Seeing how it _was_ an Australian event, Draco didn't think that idea was too far off.

Soon enough though, Draco found out the real reason.

Weary cadets, those who attended but were ill and those who had simply eaten something wrong for a quick breaky, they were all taken aside subtly as the ceremony continued, the heat beating down at their wills as one by one they dropped like flies. Some spectators were included in the mix, however they didn't really have an excuse for nearly fainting; they were all in the shade and allowed to move, unlike the determinedly still cadets in their slightly crooked ranks.

Harry shuffled impatiently, not really understanding this Australian tradition, bored with the speeches of high ranking officials that had never been anywhere near the war, that is until, surprisingly, Alice was called from her ranks and made her way to the stage.

Once she was up there, the crowd stilled and the only noise was the breeze that ruffled some nearby trees and a cockatoo that had decided to awaken.

She cleared her throat.

She opened her mouth.

And then she spoke.

"_In Flanders Field, the poppies blow,_

_Between the crosses, row on row,_

_That mark our place; and in the sky_

_The larks, still bravely singing, fly_

_Scarce heard amid the guns below."_

Harry cocked his head and frowned. Flashes of memories ran through his head.

The littering of flowers that ran wild through the church ground of all those who'd been lost in the Wizarding War. The pain and anguish he'd felt that they'd all died, protecting _him_. He was supposed to be the Saviour-of-the-World-as-We-Know-It, yet why had so many of them _died_?

He remembered one free weekend when he'd gone to one of the obscure graveyards for the fallen heroes. This one was a monument for those of the Commonwealth who'd fallen. He'd been interested in it ever since Alice had vaguely mentioned such a thing. It had taken a lot of digging, but he soon found it in Londonderry, on the border of the Republic of Ireland.

However, what he hadn't bargained for was the fact that Alice would be there that day too. She wiped her face feverently as soon as she noticed his presence, which was a lot quicker than most people usually would. After a couple of sniffs, Alice had still resolutely not turned her face to him, ashamed of the tears. It was at this point when he'd placed a hand on her shoulder and said those fateful words, _"__I__'__m__sorry.__"_

Fateful, because it was at that time she'd coolly asked, _"__For_ _what,_ _may_ _I_ _ask?_ _My_ _loss?_ _Many_ _more_ _have_ _lost_ _more_ _than_ _what_ _I_ _have.__"_

Harry hesitated, _"__More_ _for_ _the_ _fact_ _that_ _I__'__m_ _the_ _reason_ _that__… __she_ _died.__"_ In the back of his mind lurked the time when he'd first seen Alice, and fallen in love with her: when she and Matt had given their all for their best friend, yet was still found lacking.

To his ultimate shock though, Alice had given a final sniff of disapproval, turned and smiled wearily at him, _"__Mate__… _ _Honestly,_ _don__'__t_ _be_ _so_ _conceited._ _Just_ _because_ _you_ _were_ _the_ _one_ _that_ _was_ _fated_ _to_ _end_ _Voldemort__'__s_ _reign,_ _doesn__'__t_ _mean_ _that_ _these_ _people_ _wouldn__'__t__'__ve_ _died._ _If_ _it_ _were_ _you_ _or_ _… _ _Fred_ _Weasley_ _-!_ _-_ _these_ _people_ _would__'__ve_ _still_ _died_ _fighting_ _against_ _Voldemort._ _It_ _was_ _Voldemort__'__s_ _twisted_ _mind_ _that_ _caused_ _all_ _these_ _deaths._ _You_ _don__'__t_ _go_ _around_ _saying_ _that_ _the_ _Allies_ _killed_ _the_ _Jews__ '_ _cause_ _they_ _couldn__'__t_ _save_ _them_ _all_ _from_ _Hitler_ _and_ _his_ _minions_ _in_ _time._ _They_ _stopped_ _Hitler_ _from_ _killing_ _more,_ _and_ _in_ _doing_ _so_ _there_ _were_ _casualties._ _The_ _same_ _rule_ _applies_ _here._ _You_ _stopped_ _more_ _people_ _from_ _dying,_ _be_ _thankful_ _for_ _that_ _at_ _least.__"_

Harry never _cried_, per say, he just managed to… get some dust in his eyes at that moment in time and couldn't get it out for a while.

He always knew Alice was a sweet girl, but he had never really experienced it himself except for at that single moment in time.

In the quiet of the graveyard, as Harry… got rid of the dust in his eye… Alice gently hushed and rocked him.

"… _You_ _blubberer.__"_ She gently mocked him, but with a sad sincerity that Harry wished he'd never have to hear again.

"_We are the Dead. Short days ago_

_We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,_

_Loved and were loved, and now we lie,_

_In Flanders Fields."_

Draco glanced to his right and wasn't surprised to see Saint Potter was hurriedly cleaning his glasses and surreptitiously wiping tears away.

Nor was he surprised to see everyone else having the same reactions.

He was however, surprised to find himself doing the same. He knew Alice's main power was in healing, be it in mind, heart, body or soul. And Alice had always had such a way with words that no matter how dispassionately something was written, no matter how mundane the material, if Alice read it she could bring you to your knees in laughter or have your soul bared as you cried.

Draco was so sure he'd figured out how to counter her dominant use of magic. Obviously this was to no avail.

Draco had been so happy when Alice had finally lifted Hermione's forced memory barrier, however he was unable brace himself for the cost.

One of the main rules of the Fae was that nothing was for free. For Hermione to have her memories returned meant someone else must have a barrier. For Padma and her baby to live, someone else had to take the curse.

And that person was now standing in front of him, so close, but so far away.

"_Take up our quarrel with the foe:_

_To you from failing hands we throw_

_The torch; be yours to hold it high._

_If ye break faith with us who die_

_We shall not sleep, though poppies grow_

_In Flanders Fields."_

Draco could've sworn at that time, Alice looked directly at him.

-

Alice woke from another of her 'Day Breaks' (the longer they were in there the worse Alice's puns grew) and she paled as she looked at Hermione.

"Hermione, I forgot to tell you… You haven't eaten any of the fruit… have you?"

Hermione scoffed, "I'm not an idiot, I've read enough literacy to realise that to eat a Fae fruit is to stay here for ever."

Alice slumped in relief, "I thought you might know, I just wasn't sure."

There was silence and then Alice broke it, "Hermione, what's the time?"

She thought, "I've been here for maybe… five hours. I couldn't count on how many times you went to sleep and awoke seeing how time shifts so differently."

Alice suddenly looked exceptionally happy, "That means… My parents should be awake soon!"

It was Hermione's turn to look sceptical, "You haven't seen them since you were, what? Eighteen months? What makes you think they'll help you?"

"What makes you think they won't?"

"Your Grandparents."

"Ah. Well. Yeah, yeah, fair enough, fair enough. But the thing 'Mione, is that as soon as my dad awakes, he becomes the heir again."

Hermione frowned, "How does that work?"

"Well, it goes to the one who is most suitable. The first one to touch the crown of the heir after the heir becomes incapacitated becomes the next heir, as it is assumed they're the one who managed to overpower the heir, thus making them inefficient. Did that make any sense, whatsoever?" Alice smiled sheepishly at her.

Hermione laughed and shook her head, "No matter. I'm glad your parents will wake up soon though Alice. It's been long enough."

Alice smiled, "The moment they do, Dad's going to be heir and they'll be no point in us being trapped in here. Unless Cobweb gets the wedding date shifted and marries Draco."

The two girls laughed heartily, and then suddenly Alice stopped and stared in horror at Hermione. Hermione's laughter slowed and then halted as she too, reached the same conclusion.

"You don't think…"

"But she doesn't know he's not the heir! Of course she will!" Alice cried out in desperation.

"But he'll know it's not me!"

"And how long did it take for you lot to realise 'Alice' wasn't really 'Alice', hmm?"

"…Only a couple of days."

"Yeah, in which you were around me constantly! It's school time now. Everyone's crazy during school time! And they're planning 'their' wedding!"

"…Shit."

-

The Final Post was played and the Defence Forces retraced their path back to the beginning of their parade, this time a slow rumble of cheering and laughter from the crowd was left in their wake.

Harry turned to Draco and shrugged, "Now what?"

A passing local overheard and laughingly thumped Harry on the shoulder, "Oi, mates! Everyone's going to the pub now for beer and a game of two-up. You can join us if you want."

"Really? Everyone?"

"Mate, its Anzac tradition to go to the RSL and play two up with a coupl'a pennys. And drink beer. Everyone's welcome."

"Cheers mate."

"Yeah, no worries." With a tip of his hat, the local disappeared into the crowd to rejoin his friends.

Harry looked quizzically at Draco, "Should we?"

Matt appeared from behind him, "What, are we going to the Rissole? You beauty!"

"Rissole?"

"You know, RSL – Rissole."

"You know what? That actually makes sense."

"Why wouldn't it?"

"…No reason…"

The two Englanders followed the Australian Air Force Officer through the throngs of people, towards the pub.

"Good work mate!"

"Ta O'Harrow."

"Where to now?" The two naval seawoman were wondering around aimlessly as they talked idly.

"Oh! Apparently, I have an apartment here! The key got delivered to the hotel, it turns out my landlady found out I'd come back and lost some of me memories."

"Ohhh… Can we go?" O'Harrow clapped her hands excitedly.

Goodfellow laughed, "Yeah! Then we should see whether its worth it to move out of the hotel or not!"

"Knowing you its probably a dingy little place, covered in dust!"

"Hey…!"

"Well, it'll be better than nothing, seeing as how we've finally finished our deployment. Hopefully nothing else will come by for a while."

"What, you wanna quit?"

"Meh, maybe. I suppose it depends."

"Yeah, yeah, fair enough, fair enough."

-

Soon Goodfellow and O'Harrow found themselves in the heart of Chinatown after changing clothing at the hotel. All around them, colourful sights, sounds and smells leapt up at them. Goodfellow squinted down at the small map she'd drawn hastily on a scrap of paper.

"Okay, I think it's one of those rooms that are on top of a store, you know? And the store or restaurant, according to this thing, is… 'The Yangzi Dragon'"

"Okay, I'll keep my eyes peeled. You look on that side, I'll look on this side. It's down this street right?"

"Uh,' Goodfellow quickly inspected the map again, 'Yeah."

It was a long street.

It took them fifteen minutes to meet again at the bottom, one had been on one side of the street and the other had been on the other, inspecting each store or restaurant they came across.

"Did you find it?"

"No, you?"

Goodfellow frowned and looked at the map again, "That doesn't make any sense, it should be here! Lets swap sides and go up again."

O'Harrow agreed and the two friends began walking up on opposite sides of the street.

Ten minutes later Goodfellow called across the street to her friend.

"O'Harrow! O'HARROW! I FOUND IT!"

O'Harrow's ears picked up and she darted across the busy road.

"Really? Where is it?"

Goodfellow pointed at an empty shop front, "You gets in… there."

O'Harrow blinked as the shop front seemed to shimmer in front of her eyes.

Seemingly emerging from nothing, a cheerful Chinese restaurant with a swinging Dragon board with writing above their heads stood where O'Harrow had previously thought there was nothing.

"Well, I never… Cor, pull me leg and call me Blinky Bill, I could've sworn there wasn't a restaurant there… I can't believe I missed it!"

Goodfellow nodded, "Yeah, I nearly walked right past it too."

"Not very good advertising then, is it, if it's so inconspicuous that people can walk right past it and not notice!"

Goodfellow laughed with her and the two walked into the restaurant.

Inside the smells of Chinese cooking hit them and O'Harrow groaned in bliss, "Hmmm… My favourite…"

Smiling, Goodfellow made her way up to the counter, politely walking past and nodding to the restaurant's patrons, occasionally stopping to have a quick chat and laugh.

O'Harrow followed closely behind and when they reached the empty counter she whispered, "So, I take it your memories are coming back?"

She looked at her, surprised, 'Not at all. I can't remember a thing of this place."

O'Harrow stuttered, "Bu- But you – you were – who were those people you were talking to just now?"

"I have no idea!" She replied cheerfully.

A small, wrinkly old Chinese lady garbed in a traditional garment hobbled up to the desk, her features distinctly… goblin-esque…

"Ah! Adriana! My dear, how are you?" The little old woman gave the two girls a toothy grin filled with crooked yellow teeth.

"I'm fine, thanks! And yourself, Granny?"

The little old lady cackled cheerfully, "Nothing to worry about m'dear! Just glad to see you back safe and sound from your travels with the Reserves! Here, I'll take you up to your room."

Smiling curiously, the two girls followed the beaming, shuffling old lady behind a door that consisted of just a decorated hanging fabric and up some small, dusty and dark creaking stairs that wound up in a spiral. The two girls were soon wheezing, only able to stop and catch their breath when they reached another dark landing that lead to someone else's door. Goodfellow's landlady kept up a steady trot, smiling peacefully and with not a hair out of place.

After they'd reached the sixth landing O'Harrow turned to Goodfellow and wheezed, "When I'm old, I want to be as fit as your landlady!"

Unable to get answer, Goodfellow simply nodded.

The reality of the situation was absurd; they were two Naval Seawomen, at the peak of their fitness. Granny looked like she was ninety.

"Come on, young uns'! Keep up!" She called out cheerfully.

Shaking her head, O'Harrow sighed, "This can't get much worse…"

"Yes it can… We have to bring our bags up here too…"

The two girls groaned and started walking again.

"As you can see, I've kept the place nice and clean for you dear,' Granny said pleasantly as she shuffled over to the wall between the door and kitchen, 'all the plants have been watered and such." She pointed out all the lighting and fan switches to them before turning the air conditioning on.

Goodfellow looked around her apartment, wide eyed. It was far from what they had expected, it was obviously at the top of the building (ten floors between them and the restaurant) and wide and spacious with a high roof. White walls contrasted with dark wooden beams and floor to ceiling tinted windows lined the walls, looking out over Chinatown and onto the Darling Harbour.

O'Harrow had come in, grunted in surprise before collapsing on Goodfellow's black leather couch on the left that faced said huge windows. The kitchen was on the right and was encircled by a benchtop. Short, wide steps was placed between two rooms and led to a second level.

"Whew! Classy!" Goodfellow breathed.

The old Chinese lady smiled toothily and patted her hand on the way out, "Family discount, precious."

"Family-?" Goodfellow whirled around but the old woman had already gone.

"You're Chinese?"

"Apparently."

"She moves fast for an old lady."

"I'll say."

"Is that why you call her Granny?"

"No, just common courtesy. Maybe you've heard of it?"

"Ha. Ha."

"… You know we have to get our bags soon."

O'Harrow groaned, "The pain! This is worse than what K-dog puts us through!"

K-dog was their training officer, he had a long and complicated last name that started with 'K' and as no one could clear pronounce his name, it was either 'Sir' to his face or 'K-dog' behind his back.

"I'm gonna see which rooms have beds in." Goodfellow groaned.

She soon found out that the rooms on the upper level housed two bedrooms and a bathroom, whereas the bottom two rooms that guarded the staircase held an art studio/exercise room and an office filled with her medical equipment. It soon became clear that the art side of the room was used more often than the exercise one.

Artwork lined the corridor and rooms, obviously this was what she did on her time off.

O'Harrow had finally gotten up and was exploring the living room. Books lined the wall adjoining the kitchen and the office, the living room held a T.V, the couch O'Harrow had collapsed on before, as well as a shiny Baldwin upright piano.

"You play?"

"Apparently."

-

"Matt, where are we going?"

"You know how in London the gateway to the magical world is the… Sinking Cauldron…?..."

"Leaky Cauldron?"

"Yeah, that one. Anyway, the one in Australia is in Chinatown, Sydney. It's called the 'Yangzi Dragon'. Beautiful pork they have there."

Draco frowned at the cheerful man, "And the reason we're not trying to find Alice… you know, the whole reason we're in this magic-forsaken land… is why?"

Matt turned and looked at them wonderingly, "Didn't I tell you? Alice lives above there. Her grandma owns the shop."

Draco baulked, "_Queen_ _Titania_, owns a shop in Chinatown, Australia?"

"Yeah, when the world started getting bigger, the Fae decided to move with the people. Most went to America, but Robin Goodfellow decided to go to China for some reason, I think it was to avoid marriage. He finally made his way down to Australia for the Gold Rush, decided to stay… at this point in time he was still in the body of a … ten year old I think it was. Then he decided to grow up, seeing as how they can age their bodies at whim, so he joined the Australian Magical Academy etc, where he met Alice's mum (he still had his Chinese disguise) who wanted to meet _his_ mum, which was lucky, because Queen Titania had decided to own the shop a couple of decades before hand so that she could keep an eye on him. King Oberon sometimes stops by, but he really can't be bothered most of the time. All very ironic really, Puck ran from marriage, _to_ marriage."

"…So Queen Titania owns 'The Yangzi Dragon'?"

"Yep, the very one."

"Would she be there now?"

"I doubt it, she only comes up very rarely, but now that Puck and his wife are comatosed, she'll be by their bedside still."

There was silence, then, "Is she,' Harry coughed, 'pretty?" Images of the immortal being that had haunted the paintings of greats filled his mind.

"Yep, she's pretty fit for an old lady."

-

**For those of you out there who've never heard of Blinky Bill, he's a cartoon koala that's pretty popular in Australia. And 'You gets in…there.' Was a nod to the movie 'Labyrinth' as was the goblin-esque mention of the landlady… and precious... ^.^ you can tell what movie I've watched recently…**


	53. Chapter 53

**Author's Notes... Apology... - Hehe, I'm really sorry that it's taken me so long to write this chapter, but, you know, the inevitable writer's block! And I'm really trying to get Draco and Hermione back together, but they just don't co-operate! Hopefully now that I've gotten this out of the road it'll be smooth sailing, but I doubt it... I'm also trying to think of where this thing will END! That's not co-operating much either...**

**Oh! And before I forget! There is also other members of a different story in here... 'The Labyrinth'! It's okay if no one whose seen the movie reads this, it's more like I've just borrowed some character's names and there place within a certain society... sort of...**

* * *

Chapter Fifty Three.

T_he place was Fancy. With a capital 'F'._

_Followed by a wolf whistle._

_Definitely F-A-N-C-Y._

_Unfortunately, O'Harrow soon found that underneath Goodfellow's fancy apartment there lived an amateur singer._

_An amateur Opera singer._

_Who practised._

_A Lot._

_With a large emphasis on amateur._

_She also seemed to be from… maybe America? England? Somewhere where they were awake when everyone sensible (well, Australians and such) was reasonably asleep._

_O'Harrow groaned and stuffed her head under the pillow, she shuffled around a bit and glanced at the snoring form of Goodfellow in the next bed. Lucky devil was dead to the world. Bastard._

* * *

Hermione barely flinched when Alice's previously limp form suddenly jumped up. She did, however, laugh so hard that she was tearing up when Alice's said jump finished with a loud 'crack' as she hit her head on the top of the crystal. Especially as this was soon followed with colourful cursing in several different languages, a lot of them ancient and 'dead' Hermione noted with interest through her haze of laughter. After about five minutes, Alice sat down sulking on the floor of 'her' crystal, nursing several wounds on various parts of her body (mainly her feet from when she attempted to teach the crystal a lesson and give it a kick up it's backside. That didn't turn out how she'd hoped).

However, fairly soon, Alice had forgotten all bruises (mainly her pride…) and was telling Hermione of her day.

"-And! When O'Harrow and I just opened the door to get our bags, guess what happened?"

Hermione grinned, "Oh! Oh! You fell down the stairs!"

Alice gave her a disbelieving grin, "Me? No! Why would you think that?"

"It seems like something you would do." Hermione said pointedly.

"Well… yeah… Nah, that's not what happened. Anyway, we opened the door and 'Arry 'nd Drake 'nd Matt were standing there, red in the face, _still_ in their Wizarding Robes! Of all things! - and holding our bags! And Granny is standing there, grinning sweetly and looking as if she'd just appeared, _without_ having to climb all those stairs – and said, 'Hello dears! I found these nice boys and got them to help me with your suitcases!'" Alice was rolling around laughing and Hermione just sat there grinning, only getting a couple of words through the thick and prominent New Zealand accent and laughter. But it looked funny.

"And the three blokes are just standing there, red as can be and absolutely surprised to see me there! Of course, I had no idea as to who they were, so I just grinned like a stunned mullet said 'Ta' and 'Bye' and closed the door!"

Hermione laughed, "Those boys managed to make their way to the only portal to the magical world in Australia, _no_, pretty much the entire South-Eastern _Hemisphere_, to find you and you just say 'Ta'?"

Alice shrugged flippantly, grinning wildly.

* * *

_O'Harrow groaned again. More singing. What was this place? A building for the musically inclined?_

_Huffing in annoyance O'Harrow pulled back the sheets of her bed, threw a dirty look at the peacefully sleeping Goodfellow and stormed to the door, muttering her grievances. Flinging the door open angrily she came face to face with Granny. Granny swinging a lantern of incense and loudly chanting in some weird language or other. Albeit rather off key…_

_"Granny?"_

_"Hullo dear. Don't worry about me, just go back to sleep." Granny grinned toothlessly and turned slowly around, before making her way back down the stairs, chanting again._

_Shaking her head O'Harrow pondered on the thought that she might've gotten a better rest at the hotel: far be it less amusing. And more expensive, especially seeing as how it looked like she was going to be living in Sydney now. She sneezed abruptly from the rich smell of the incense._

* * *

The two of them sat silent as they watched the bright white room slowly grow in warm yellow light. The sun was coming up; Alice's parents would be woken from their magically induced coma during this day and Cobweb would be going through a last ditch attempt to marry Draco so she could become the wife of the Fae heir. It was all getting rather complicated and Hermione hoped beyond hope that Draco would be able to figure out that the Hermione in England wasn't Hermione. She doubted it; sometimes he could be so clueless.

"You're Muggleborn Hermione, right?"

Hermione shrugged, "Yes, but at the same time, not really."

Alice cocked her head to the side and lifted an inquisitive brow.

"Uhm… My parents and grandparents are Squibs. The magic had forgone their generations, so the Ministry of Magic decided to declare our family Muggles."

Alice frowned slightly, "Then you came along…"

Hermione nodded, "I was then put under the category of 'Muggleborn' even though I was raised in the Squib community and as such had access to the most basics of magic since a young age."

Alice mused slightly, "I heard Draco say you hated flying."

Hermione chuckled slightly, "On the contrary, I love flying! But as it was the most magical sensation that Squibs can experience…"

"You didn't want to take away something special to your family by being able to do that one magical thing that they could just barely do with complete ease?"

Hermione nodded.

Alice sat there silently for a moment, a contemplative gleam in her eye.

"…Alice?"

"I think that may work in your favour."

"…What?"

"I think the fact that you'd never been on a broom before Hogwarts will work in your favour right now."

Hermione sighed, "Alice, what are you chatting about?"

Alice sighed and Hermione watched in barely concealed amusement and awe as Alice's slightly tattered blue wings shifted as she took the deep breath.

"This is a MC. Magical Containment."

Hermione snorted, then calmed down at Alice's arched brow, "So, basically anything magical is trapped in here?"

Alice nodded, "And if there's one thing to be said about the fae, it's that they always find loopholes and always leave room for loopholes."

Hermione's eyebrows rose inquisitively.

"Because your parents et cetera are squibs, it means that you have non magical blood running through your veins."

"…Ye-s…?"

Alice took another deep breath, "Hermione, if you do manage to escape the crystal - '

Hermione frowned, _'__Why __is __Alice __avoiding __the __very __subject __she __herself __brought __up?__'_

'You'll find yourself on the edge of a forest. Whatever you do, _don__'__t_ go into that forest. There are lots of portals around the Fae kingdoms that lead to the mortal world. There is a specific portal not far away that leads straight into London. To find it you'll have to follow the outskirts of the forest until you meet an old beggar woman. Whatever you do, DON'T cross her! Or come into contact with her… or let her see you… or… Just, don't have anything to do with the beggar woman. Then as soon as you see her, you have to go immediately west of the forest. You'll eventually come across a small pond of water. When you do find it, whatever you do, _don__'__t_ drink from it, however much you wish to do so - "

"Alice, wha - "

" – Now, you'll have to wait until the sun sets, and when the moon is framed, dive in. _Don__'__t_ touch the water until then."

"Alice, you're not making any sense!"

"Do you understand what I just said?"

"Yes, yes, old crone, west of a forest, dive into a small pond when the moon is framed or something, but what - "

"_And?_" Alice asked pointedly.

"Uh, don't drink the water?"

"Yep."

"_Alice_. What is this all about?"

"Oh! And also, don't use _any_ magic. At all. Don't apparate or make water or walk on water or - "

"ALICE!"

Alice said nothing more on the subject, instead her eyes lit up at her next words.

"I say, Hermione, do you know that feeling of wanting to fly?"

Hermione almost growled.

'_Bloody __fae __and __their __elusiveness__'_ she thought, "Yes." She ground out.

* * *

_The sun came up through the large tinted window panes that lined the wall. O'Harrow groaned as she rolled out of bed. Last night she had found out that Alice's neighbours were all musical. Except for one. That one just liked monster movies. The one next door kept singing blues and jazz at random points during the night, downstairs was the opera amateur and also downstairs was a musical fanatic. She and Goodfellow had decided to bunk in the two single beds in what looked like the guest room, simply because the place was weird enough by itself. Leaning over to Goodfellow's bed, she tiredly shook her shoulder, "Com'on mate. Time to get up."_

_Goodfellow's reaction was to snore; snuffle in her sleep and mutter something about pineapples._

_Groaning, O'Harrow shook her shoulder even harder and stopped when Goodfellow's hair fell away from over her ear. She'd been wearing earplugs. Earplugs._

_O'Harrow gently took them out and looked at them in slight objection, "The bastard knew." She whispered in disbelief and mocking hurt. Shaking her head and laughing, O'Harrow decided to let the girl sleep in and went down to the kitchen for some brekky._

* * *

The tips of the sun's rays were breaking the illusion of the white room. Apparently the white room they were in, that kind of looked like a classy, richly furbished room if you stared really hard ahead and looked at it from the corner of your eyes, was actually in the middle of a forest, while a fae party was going on not far away.

They really weren't kidding when they said the Fae folk revelled all night long. Although who 'they' were Hermione wasn't sure, it was just some of that knowledge that was acquired by everyone, yet no one quite knew how…

Moving on, Hermione was eyeing her slowly lighting up surrounds suspiciously.

"Alice, you said we'd be on the edge of the forest if we ever got out of this crystal, not _in_ it! And aren't your parents waking up right now?"

Alice shrugged, "The place we are within the crystal and the place just outside of the crystal are two entirely different things. And my parents will be waking up today, there isn't a specific time or anything. It could be in two seconds or two minutes. Heck, dad'll probably decide to sleep in, so we probably shouldn't expect any movement from them soon. Cobweb'll just want the crown ASAP, so that's why we're worrying."

Hermione was doubtful, she was so unused to being left in the dark. Wily Fae.

Hermione glanced quickly over at Alice and then did a double take.

She was standing.

On her _head._

"Alice, what on Earth are you doing?"

"I'm bored." She complained.

"Shouldn't you be going to sleep soon?"

"Yeah, that's why I'm on my head."

"So when you fall asleep you hurt yourself again? Masochist much?"

Alice glared at her; "I'm doing this for your own good. I won't 'wake up' Aboveground if I'm like this, I need to help you get outta here and marry Draco."

Hermione sighed, "Well, seeing as how this is a MC,' she chuckled under her breath, 'I don't see how we can get out."

Alice's long blonde hair spilled around her, pillowing her head. Just above it her distinctive eyebrows arched under her upside down sparkling green eyes. As Hermione looked closer she could start making out the distinctive fae markings that had been glamoured away.

"Close your eyes."

"What?" Hermione squarked.

"Close your eyes, we're going to meditate!"

Hermione looked at her doubtfully, but Alice didn't see. She had her eyes closed.

Hermione sighed and gave into her demands, "Okay…"

The last thing Hermione say before she closed her eyes was a bejewelled bird staring back at her wonderingly from the surrounding forest.

"Now, Hermione are you completely relaxed?"

"…yes."

"Now, I want you to picture yourself flying."

Hermione breathed out evenly, she felt the rush of the wind through her hair, the elation of having nothing between yourself and the sky, the lightness that made you feel you could do anything –

"Hermione, what are you thinking of?"

"Flying. With Harry and Ron. We're - "

"NO! When I said 'picture yourself flying' I meant only that! I want you to remember what it feels like to look at the sky and wonder what it feels like to fly!"

Hermione frowned and shook her head slightly, her eyes still tightly closed, "Uh, okay… nothing else to do I guess…"

So Hermione leaned back, relaxed and thought back to her childhood. Watching her siblings and parents take to the sky, she had felt like a penguin, able to do so many other things that most birds couldn't do… swim at great lengths and great speeds, catch elusive fish… but only able to look at the sky as their kin took to it. She had closed her eyes and imagined the moment when she too would be able to take to the sky…

* * *

**Hermione heard a crack, but hardly noticed it as she fully relaxed into her imaginings. She sighed softly as she felt what seemed to be gossamer spider webs or spring water slide softly over her skin as she fell asleep.**

**There was a sharp prickle on her neck and she twitched uncomfortably, the sun was heating her face up almost uncomfortably and she groaned and sat up.**

**Hermione gasped, she was no longer in the middle of the forest, but on the edge of it.**

**"What in Merlin's beard…?"**

**She reached up and wiped a couple of beads of sweat off her forehead, paused at the unusual sensation it had begot on her and brought her hand to her face: what she had thought was sweat was actually blood.**

**Panicked, she quickly checked herself over for cuts or bruisings, but the only wound of any sort she could find was her slowly burning face. Bloody Sun.**

* * *

"Bloody Blood Magic." Alice muttered, before laughing humourlessly.

"Haha! Bloody Blood Magic - … whatever…" she grumbled and wiped her cut up hand on her white dress.

"And what is this? I mean, come on! A white nightgown! How Gothic! Bloody Cobweb and her depressing sense of humour."

While Hermione had been relaxing and picturing 'Muggle' thoughts, Alice had been able to crack a hole in her 'MC', cut her hand, mutter the right words and dispel the spell around Hermione. See, what Cobweb had overlooked was the fact that Hermione, although raised around Squib magic and then Hogwarts magic and is one of the Greatest Witches in the World, she was officially Muggleborn. And at one point the Ministry of Magic had declared that all Muggleborns actually had no magic at all. Add that to Hermione picturing how flying would be to all unmagical beings (except for birds…well, most birds) and the Blood Magic that Alice had performed on the crystal, that usually wouldn't affect it, the MC had accepted that Hermione wasn't magic and had promptly deposited her on the outskirts of the forest.

Alice was still cursing in as many languages she could be stuffed to remember.

* * *

**Hermione smiled in glee and was about to apparate away when she remembered Alice's words, _'__Don__'__t __use __Magic! __For __all __that __is __holy, __(hehe, __how __ironic __is __that?__'__)_**

**'_Alice…'_**

**'_Right! For all that is holy, Don't use Magic! Got it?'_**

**'_Yes, I've got it Alice.'_**

**Alice's instructions… Something about finding the malicious beggar woman and then heading west… But which way should she go in order to _find_ said beggar woman. Hermione's shoulders slumped. "This is why I never let Harry and Ron do the research! They just… read it, remember half of it and then report the minutest details from that! Argh! I'm am SO raiding Alice's library when I get out of here!"**

**Hermione sighed, squared her shoulders and then turned around. Only to be met with a large expanse of desert. Alice wanted her to head west into there with no definite ending? Riiiiggghhhttt… On to Ennie Minnie Miney Moe then…**

**Hermione glanced around and saw a mountain range on the far horizon to the right. Better that way then any other, Hermione mused before going off.**

* * *

Alice laid on her back, her wings spread out comfortably as she blew spit bubbles. She could hear laughter and the breaking of twigs that meant that fae were coming from their revels. This rising sun had broken the barrier illusion of a room and Alice could now see forest and the forest floor, where she resided above by a few centimetres.

"Well, well, well, if it isn't our elusive niece!" Chuckled a deep baritone voice from behind her. Grinning, Alice sat up and greeted the new comers, "Hey Uncle Jareth, Aunty Sarah!"

A beautiful woman with dark hair and bright green eyes stepped from behind her husband and smiled, "Damn, thought you wouldn't see me.' She said teasingly with a prominent American accent, as if she'd held onto it to spite her British husband, 'My, you've grown up. How are you young'un?"

Alice shrugged cheerfully, "Stuck. How are you? And Mum and dad, how are they?"

Uncle Jareth nodded, "Yeah, can't complain. Your old dad's pretty knocked out of it. Your mum should be up soon though, knowing her. Wanna join us? We're just about to go see them."

Aunty Sarah wacked his arm, "Jareth, wouldn't it be politer to ask why she's in there first? You never know, she may have a reason."

Uncle Jareth grinned at his wife and then turned to his niece. "Okay Alice, you heard your aunt, what are you doing in an MC?"

Aunty Sarah blanched and then looked at Jareth with a furrow in her brow, "A Master of Ceremonies? What has that got to do with anything?"

Alice grinned cheerfully, "Oh, its not _that_ sort of MC. It's a Magical Containment. And Aunty Moth and Cobweb put me in here."

Jareth sighed, "What did you do this time? Wait, Moth? But isn't she banished?"

Alice shrugged, "Yeah, but Cobweb isn't. And I didn't do anything… except maybe… become the heir accidently."

Sarah laughed, "You sound just like your father!"

Alice smiled, "Really?"

Jareth nodded thoughtfully, "Right, we already knew you're the heir when your Grandma and Pops came back with your parents, but still, you're in there because…?"

"Well!" Alice began dutifully, because if there was one thing you do when talking with the Lord of Goblins and Time and his Champion, you always took your time with the details.

* * *

**Hermione panted as the steadily rising heat started affecting her and she glanced longingly into the cool shades of the forest she was trotting just beside.**

**"Surely… Surely Alice told me not to go into the forest simply because I might get lost?" Hermione mused to herself. She shook her head, no Alice wouldn't give Hermione the dishonour of underestimating her abilities so… But still…**

**The cool shade of the forest temptingly danced in front of Hermione's eyes and she couldn't resist any longer. Stumbling, she made her way to the nearest tree. As soon as the shadow touched her, the cooling sensation was immediate and wonderful. With a sigh of relief, Hermione sunk to her knees at the trees roots and gently closed her eyes, lulled to sleep.**

**_Last Christmas Day._**

**"_Hey Aunty 'Mione, have you ever heard the tale of Rip Van Winkle?"_**

**"_Of course Georgie, who hasn't?"_**

**"_Do you think he was under the same spell as Sleeping Beauty? You know, with the whole 'sleeping for a hundred years' thing going on…?"_**

**"…_It's a definite possibility, why would you ask that?"_**

**"…_I dunno."_**

**_Padma laughed, her baby bump wobbling with her. The two twins, George and Mary watched it with awe._**

**"_Aunty Padma, why are you so big?" Mary asked innocently._**

**_Padma blanched, "Uh…it was your Uncle Ron's fault."_**

**"_Why?"_**

**"…_You should probably ask him that."_**

**"_Okay!" and the two twins skipped away, Padma watching with a slightly guilty looking face as Hermione laughed._**

* * *

Alice grinned sheepishly at her Uncle as her Aunty fussed over all her wounds as they trotted through the forest, "Jeez Alice! What did you do to yourself?" her Aunty muttered.

Images of various childhood incidents that usually ended up with herself being in the emergency ward of the nearest Muggle or Wizarding Hospital flooded her mind, as did the rigorous training the military required, not to mention the battles she had fought in.

Alice shrugged, "Eh, not much."

* * *

_O'Harrow stared at the unmoving form of Goodfellow uncomprehendingly. It was midday and she had yet to move. Tentatively, O'Harrow reached over and poked Goodfellow in the arm. Alarmed at the lack of reaction she poked her side even harder._

_"Oi."_

_Poke._

_"Goodfellow!"_

_Nothing._

_Poke._

_"The dog's gonna eat the last of the chocolate!"_

_Goodfellow stirred slightly, muttered "Parfait" and then snuggled back into her pillows._

_O'Harrow's eyebrows rose and she shrugged. At least she hadn't died on her. She went back devising the best way to get groceries without having to face the death trap the place had labelled 'stairs'._


	54. Chapter 54

**Author's Note** - Haha, okay so it's been a while since I last updated… Sorry about that! But when writer's block hits, it hits hard! I've been trying to incorporate a lot of different ideas as well as wrap up the story, so it's taken a fair bit of manipulating! Hopefully the end will be in sight soon, so to everyone who has read this far: You are amazing! :D

* * *

Chapter Fifty Four.

Alice laid her stomach on the guest bed as the Goblin Physician tended her various wounds. He was a gnarled old thing, but with such a whispy voice, kind eyes and knowledgeable hands, that he rarely scared people. Well, maybe sometimes.

Her Uncle Jareth and Aunty Sarah sat on stuffed chairs that faced her as they discussed the recent events.

"We'll have to take this up with the High King and Queen, this is bordering on treason!" Sarah exclaimed; her slight American accent that she had clung onto spitefully becoming more prominent.

Jareth shook his head, "No dear, this _is _treason, no two ways about it."

"How are Mum and Dad?"

"Your Mum's almost awake, she didn't take as much of the curse as your father did."

Alice smiled and hummed a bit; she couldn't really remember her parents that much, her older sister had practically raised her after they had been comatose. At least she faired better than Neville and his parents, it was unlikely that they would get better any time soon… And that poor couple that her sister had initially told her were their parents right next to them… It was the right thing to do, Alice supposed, to have at least a semblance of parental figures that weren't currently Sleeping Beauty in a supposedly mythical land…

The Goblin equivalent of a nurse rushed into the room hurriedly, "Your Majesties! The Heir… The Heir and his spouse are awakening!"

Alice ignored the Goblin Physicians shouts as she scrambled up from the bed, ignoring the pain her wounded back and wings gave her, stumbled a bit as she made her way to the door, before she sprinted down the corridor to her parent's room.

Followed closely by her Aunt and Uncle.

And that Goblin Physician who was still shouting at her to rest.

While Alice knew if one of her patients had done that she'd be pissed off too, but right now she really couldn't care less.

She made a mad dash for the door and yanked it open, the utterance of her parent's titles dying on her lips as she stared at what lay before her within the room. Too surprised to protest, Alice was pulled away from the door and it was firmly closed behind her. Numbly, Alice was pushed down the corridor back to her guest room by the irritated Goblin Physician and Nurse

As she was herded into her room, she stared up at her Aunt and Uncle in shock.

Sarah looked on guiltily as she heard a soft, "Why? Why did you - ?" before Alice disappeared again. She glanced up and saw her husband's stern face before sighing. Knowing it was a façade and that he cared as much as she did, if not more…

* * *

Hermione groaned blearily as she registered a darker shadow passing over her eyes. Wearily opening her eyes, she flinched back suddenly when she realised what it was.

She was looking into the eyes of an old Beggar Woman.

Grreeaattt… If Alice didn't want to kill her before for not listening to her advice (which, usually, you know, she had solid reason not to, her advice was typically along the veins of Harry and Ron's… mixed with Luna's… and a bit of Dobby and Hagrid's thrown in too…), then she probably did now.

"Hello deary… I was wondering if you had any food or water to spare?"

Hermione licked her parched lips nervously, "Ah… No, I'm sorry… If I did, I would share it with you, it's just that - "

"But what's that in your hands precioussss?" The Beggar Woman's eyes glinted dangerously as her gnarled old hand pointed at Hermione's.

Hermione looked down in surprise to see a full, lush, deliciously tempting pear sitting innocently in her hand.

"Oh." She uttered softly.

"So, what do you say, dearesssst? Shall we sssplit it?" the Beggar Woman asked greedily.

"NO!" hissed Hermione, clutching the fruit to her chest. She registered deep in her mind that this possessiveness wasn't voluntary, that she really shouldn't want to eat this fruit: she was hungry, but now that she'd met the Beggar Woman, she did want to stay on her good side and besides, one piece of fruit shouldn't be good enough to make her stay in the Underground forever…

Hermione's mind was quickly analysing the differences between this possessive and surprisingly swift involuntary movements and the sluggishly sleepy movements of the imperius curse. Obviously, this was a different type of magic, probably fae, but as they had been no books that she had found on how to _counter_ fae magic, except to avoid it at all costs, Hermione soon found herself in a very… odd position.

"Are you sure deary?" the Beggar Woman rasped, eyeing Hermione with an odd glint in her eye. Hermione was so disconcerted when she had the slightest feeling of Déjà vu… She was sure that she'd seen those eyes somewhere…

"No! I mean yes – I mean… Do you know how I can get home?" Hermione asked in desperation.

The Beggar Woman leaned on her cane, looked Hermione in the eyes and stated simply, "Yes."

Hermione's countenance brightened, "Really? Can you tell me?"

"Tell you what?"

"How to get there."

"Where's 'There'?"

"Aboveground!"

"What about the Aboveground?"

"I want to know how to get there!" Hermione cried in frustration.

"That's nice dear. Now, are you going to share that fruit or not?"

Again Hermione felt that possessive pull that made her hands tighten involuntary around the pear and pull it to her chest.

"Noo…' She ground out, fighting to keep the word in and not offend the old lady, 'But, why won't you tell me how to get Aboveground?"

The Beggar Woman cackled loudly, showing her toothless gums, "Choose the right words, deary and you may know all you want."

Hermione stared at her oddly, she reminded her eerily of Alice in a way… She was sure she'd heard Alice ask that of her before…

Suddenly calm, Hermione turned to the Beggar Woman with clear eyes and said clearly, "How do I get to the Aboveground?"

The Beggar Woman's face lit up and she straightened her bent back slowly. Hermione blinked a couple of times as she thought in place of the old woman there was a regal and elegant young lady, but it was just a trick of the light, because when she blinked, it was the old Beggar Woman again.

The feel of her wizened old hands that suddenly clasped themselves around Hermione's arm amplified this fact.

"Hey! What –?"

But before she could finish, the old lady had vanished… and taken Hermione with her, leaving only her cackling laugh behind.

* * *

When Hermione opened her eyes, she found herself in the middle of a grand throne room… with the old Beggar Lady nowhere in sight. Neither was anyone else for that matter. Nor any doors…

Looking around curiously, she could barely disconcert whether the room was made of polished stone or was actually the inside of a giant tree with it's insides polished and lacquered. In any case there were huge windows incased within the walls, with black twisting vines in between the panes… much like the very window now residing in the Hogwarts Hospital Wing… The first type of magic Alice had shown… And it had been fae. Why hadn't she been able to pick up all those nuances? The ways her seemly simple magic had given her different results from the rest of them…

"I don't see why we had to come Jareth!" a forceful and female American voice came from behind Hermione.

She whirled around, but still found herself all alone in this room void of any living thing and entrances.

"Sarah, you should know by now that when Mother calls, we must answer." Came an amused and distinctly male English lilt.

"Humph." Came the annoyed sound from the female.

Hermione still couldn't see them, but she could hear their footsteps coming even closer.

"I wonder what Granny wants though…"

That voice! That New Zealand accent curried with Australian!

Hermione cried excitedly, "Alice! Alice is that you?"

The voices and footsteps stopped suddenly and Hermione had a horrible feeling that maybe it wasn't her...

This was quickly dissipated when she heard an answering cry, "'Mione!" and the sound of running feet. This was also supported when she heard the other therefore unknown voices calling out for her to stop running. Yep, that's Alice.

Hermione stared at the place where she could hear the footsteps coming from, waiting to see where and how they would emerge. Instead, she heard from behind her, "Hermione? Why are you -? Why are you here? I thought you'd be home by now!"

Hermione blushed pink as she took Alice's outstretched hands into her own and mumbled as she scrubbed her toe against the polished floor.

Alice tilted her head, "Hermione? What did you just say?"

Louder she said again, her face bright red, "I said! That I fell… asleep… in the shade… and a… beggar woman… found me…" Hermione's voice grew smaller as she stuttered out her explanation, especially as she saw Alice's face fall in disappointment as each word forced their way out. This was worse than facing Professor McGonagall for breaking school rules or worse! … With an E on her test papers… 'Exceeding Expectations' indeed! Anything less than an 'O' was unacceptable!

"Hermione… I told you - "

"I know, Alice, I know! I just thought that it wouldn't hurt…"

Alice sighed and the imposing male's voice broke through, "You didn't eat any food though, did you child?"

Hermione bristled and turned to face him, standing tall she looked him in the eyes and as she spoke, she fought off the blush of attraction, "Of course not. Even the most foolish of muggles know not to touch Faerie food!"

The handsome male's eyebrows twitched in amusement as he glanced at the woman beside him who fidgeted uneasily. "Indeed."

Alice gasped, "Oh! That's right! Hermione, this is Uncle Jareth and Aunty Sarah!' she leaned in close to whisper in Hermione's ear, 'She married him because she bet him at his own game… and ate a Fae peach."

Hermione paled and stuttered, "Well! When I saw _all_ muggles! I mean foolish muggles – Um…"

Alice's Aunty Sarah waved her embarrassment down, "Don't worry dear, I've gotten used to the fact that a simple thing like that lead down to my downfall!"

Jareth frowned at his wife, "Hey! That's not fair!"

Sarah drolly replied, "I believe you once told me that 'Life isn't fair'."

Alice interrupted, "Um...right... Anyway... This is Hermione, Draco's fiancé."

Suddenly Sarah cooed excitedly, her eyes lit up like a kid in a lolly shop, "Oh! Really? Where's the ring?"

As Hermione showed it shyly to the excited muggle-turn-fae she noticed out of the corner of her eye that both Alice and Jareth had suddenly tensed and were warily eyeing something.

Sarah must have noticed as well, because she suddenly straightened and turned around at great speed. Hermione now saw what had gotten them so worked up.

She reached out and blindly clasped Alice's hand and whispered, "That's her! The Beggar woman!"

Alice nodded slowly, "That's also Granny… Queen Titania…"

The old Beggar woman cackled slowly. As her cackling went on, it smoothed out into honeyed tones and her body transformed as well. That glimpse of that regal woman that Hermione had seen wasn't an illusion, it had been her slip-up into her more common form.

"Hello Children."

The three faes bowed formally and Hermione hurriedly copied their elaborate greeting.

Queen Titania's bright greeny yellow eyes focused on Hermione and it clicked. Alice's eyes. They were the same colour… They reflected the hair on their heads and they were the same colour. The old Beggar Woman's eyes had so confused her because in the back of her mind, she thought it was _Alice!_

As she glanced at the New Zealand Fae beside her she could see the small differences, the Queen's were cold and calculating like that of a battle hardened warrior, whereas Alice's held the tender compassion and determination of a Healer.

"So, young Witch. You have found your way into the bosom of the Fae fold. How is that so?"

"I… Excuse me? In what way - ?"

"You are affianced yes? To Draco Malfoy?"

"Yes."

"He has a high position here, being a born fae of the Wizarding world. A rather rare occurrence, as rare as your muggles becoming wizards."

"Then… wouldn't that make him an… outcast?"

The Queen eyed her solemnly, "No my dear, because quite like yourself, his parents and grand parents had been born without the fae powers."

"Wha - When - Why?" Hermione stuttered in astonishment.

"His Great-Grand parents dared to try take the seat of power!' Titania thundered, 'And for that generations were to be punished! But my son decided to befriend them, treasonous as that is! I overlooked that, but when he helped them and turned the Draco boy into a fae, I decided it was best that his children grew up without that presence so betraying!' The Queen slowly sat back down and her temper damped a bit, 'Then the boy decided to come 'visit' his surrogate Grand-mother… and he grew on me. That was when it was decided that he would marry into a high-born Fae family. But that all changed when _you_ entered the picture!" The Queen's eyes burned into Hermione as she continued. People in positions of power love explaining things to people 'beneath' them, always have and always will.

"You had captured his love, something thought almost impossible for Faes,' here her eyes flicked quickly over to the Fae couple standing protectively behind her, 'And you had to be tested."

"By wiping my _memories_ of him?"

"Oh, that was the simple task. Sooner or later someone would figure out how to lift it for you, or you would yourself."

Titania's accusing eyes landed on someone different this time. A guilty looking Alice who suddenly decided that the décor of the room was fascinating.

"No, the tasks came when it was time to see how far you would go to protect someone."

"Not Draco? Wouldn't you want to see how far I would go for Draco…?"

"No precious, it was to see how far you would go for someone with whom you _didn't_ love, because if you would do everything for them, you would do anything for the one you loved."

Hermione gulped. This all seemed so much more than a simple test. Suddenly, facing McGonagall seemed so insignificant against Queen Titania.

The Queen's eyes softened as she whispered, "But… you failed."

Hermione's breath caught in her throat, "Wh - What?"

"You were doing fine, until you began to second guess the one who you were supposed to save. Little Alice knows so much more about the fae world than you could ever hope to understand, yet you still placed little value in her words."

Vaguely Hermione could tell that it was only her and the Queen in the room now, the other three faes had all disappeared.

"NO! That's not true! I trust Alice absolutely!" Deep in Hermione's self, she felt a tiny twinge of doubt.

"Yet when she warned you against the trees? The Shade? Sleep? When she told you the only way home, you still had to get verification of the knowledge?"

Hermione shook her head viciously, "No! That's not it!" Even as she cried that out, she could feel herself being pulled into the air, the feeling of gravity disappearing.

The Queen shook her head, "Such a pity."

Just as Hermione's head filled with fog, she heard a familiar voice shout, "NO!"

* * *

Hermione woke with a start. Luna leaning over her head curiously.

"Hermione? Are you okay?"

Hermione looked around desperately, before realising she was in her bed at her family's mansion, "Oh, I'm fine… But Luna, where's Alice?"

Luna cocked her head to a side, "Who's Alice?"

Hermione panicked, "Oh no! Not this again! I've got to find - "

"Relax Hermione! Relax! It was just a dream!"

"Wha – No Luna, really!"

"Hermione, it was just a bad dream brought on by your stress of planning Emily's birthday party! Nothing is going to go wrong today!"

What? Emily's Birthday…?

"How long did I sleep? Is it her 21st already?" Hermione panicked.

Luna laughed, "No silly! You didn't sleep the whole year away! It's her 20th, remember?"

Hermione slowly smiled, "Ah, of course. Her 20th. How…silly of me."

Luna patted her comfortingly, "Okay 'Mione, I'll leave you to get ready. Harry is going to be over soon to help us get ready. Ron and Padma are coming over soon as well."

Hermione nodded, "Yeah, okay… I won't be long."

Luna beamed and bounced her way out of the room, grabbing the arm of her stoic tall boyfriend Blaise, who had waited in the corridor for her.

"Emily's 20th birthday?' Hermione mused quietly, 'But… That was when the Marriage law got sent out… And no Alice either… why can I remember her then?"

* * *

The party was in full swing; Emily was happily dancing with her new fiancé and Hermione decided it was high time she found Harry. He was just heading for the refreshments table when she accosted him.

"Hey Har?"

"Yeah 'Mion?"

"Do you know anyone… who's about,' Hermione squinted her eyes as she thought quickly and indicated a height, 'yay tall, got fluffy blonde hair and greenish yellow eyes… Female, of course and is rather… queer? Luna queer, I mean."

Harry looked at her side long. "Other than Luna? No. But… that description reminds me of,' he sighed wistfully, '_her._"

Hermione rolled her eyes and mentally facepalmed herself. Of course Harry would remember Alice, but only as the mystery nurse. No help from that quarter.

She swiftly left Harry to his sappy musings, disappointed and glad. Glad that Harry could still be a sappy romantic even after everything he'd been through, but obviously disappointed that if anyone would remember Alice, it would be Harry. Hermione paused suddenly as she recalled someone else. Draco. Her fiance. Someone she was supposed to forget, but at that moment all her memories of their love cascaded in waves around her. She wondered how'd she pull this off. Pretend that she'd still forgotten? Or come running into his arms, declare that she remembered how to love him? Yeah, no, way too much melodrama there. Maybe she should just start from the beginning, when everyone had met at Hogwarts.

Hermione's step faltered, 'what if it really had been a dream? What if she and Draco had never been in love? What if Alice had just been a dream herself?'. Breathing in deeply, Hermione knew the prize would be bigger than the fall.

Hermione rushed out of the party that night before one of the most important things that would happen could get there. The Ministry's Marriage Law Patronus.


End file.
